Inlander 03/03/2022

GOING GREEN WICKED WIZARDRY SOARS INTO SPOKANE PAGE 19

DETECTIVE STORY BATMAN TURNS GUMSHOE IN LATEST MOVIE PAGE 26 FRESH & FLAVORFUL

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OFF

VOL. 29, NO. 21 | COVER DESIGN: DEREK HARRISON

COMMENT NEWS COVER STORY CULTURE

5 8 12 19

FOOD SCREEN MUSIC EVENTS

23 26 28 30

I SAW YOU ADVICE GODDESS GREEN ZONE BULLETIN BOARD

32 34 36 39

EDITOR’S NOTE

S

ome weeks as we put together a new issue of the Inlander, we start seeing connections or themes we hadn’t considered until we got to work creating the paper and reporting the stories. This week, there’s a surprising confluence of CHILDHOOD FAVORITES showing up across the paper. With the arrival of the Broadway musical Wicked, we get a visit from characters from The Wizard of Oz (page 19). In our Screen section, yet another Batman movie takes flight (page 26). And the First Interstate Center for the Performing Arts welcomes generations of Disney princess songs for a live show (page 28). If you’re looking for a little nostalgia, we have it.

Also this week, our cover story (page 12) explores a scam involving hundreds of thousands of Eastern Washington cattle that never existed. You’ll meet the chef at Vieux Carre as Inlander Restaurant Week continues until Saturday (page 23), and reporter Daniel Walters explores how downtown Spokane businesses are trying to get a grip on the homelessness issue (page 8).

— DAN NAILEN, editor

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WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE DISNEY PRINCESS OR HERO? TAYLOR ANNE DIETZ

I mean, I don’t actually watch Disney that much, but have been really enjoying Encanto.

My 5-year-old pretends to be Luisa all the time.

Do you have a favorite character from Encanto?

Probably, Bruno.

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I need a second to think about this. Mine is Baloo from Jungle Book. That’s the name of the movie, right?

Why is he your favorite?

Because he takes life as it comes. He focuses on what he needs and gets by with what makes him happy.

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I think that’s her name. I like her.

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The Intoxicating Lure of Power

Way before Donald Trump’s bromance with Vladimir Putin, Thomas Jefferson was enamored with another Russian dictator — but for very different reasons

BY LAWRENCE B.A. HATTER

W

ith Russian forces having invaded Ukraine, the world’s democracies roundly condemned Vladimir Putin’s recognition of the separatist regimes of Donetsk and Luhansk. But Donald Trump liked what he saw. “This is genius,” declared the former president of the United States in assessing Putin’s strategy of declaring the independence of the eastern Ukrainian separatists. “How smart is that?” gushed Trump about the deployment of Russian troops as “peacekeepers” on Ukrainian soil.

Trump’s praise of Putin echoed his time in the White House, where he pursued a conciliatory approach to Russia. Trump is certainly not the first U.S. president to express admiration for Russian rulers. But unlike his predecessors, the Trump-Putin love fest is not a marriage of convenience born of a common enemy; it’s a true bromance between like-minded individuals, who disparage democracy and embrace authoritarianism.

T

he fight against the common enemy of Nazi Germany brought together the odd couple of the New York socialite FDR and the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin in the 1940s. But more than a century earlier, Thomas Jefferson and Tsar Alexander I shared an even more unlikely friendship as the French Emperor Napoleon threatened to conquer all of Europe.

While George Washington was the “Father of the People,” our third president self-consciously styled himself as a “Friend of the People.”

Jefferson abandoned the monarchical trappings of the presidency — he walked to his inauguration and eschewed wearing a sword — and embraced an everyman persona. In one carefully choreographed episode, he received the British ambassador at the White House while wearing

slippers and a dressing gown. Jefferson had lived off the labor of enslaved people his entire life, but his political brand was about rejecting monarchy and entrenched Old World privilege.

Alexander I of Russia was about the most autocratic person in all of Europe in the early 1800s. Jefferson most famously took aim at King George III in the Declaration of Independence. But compared to Alexander, George was a raging democrat. Great Britain was a constitutional monarchy. The Crown governed through Parliament, which included the elected House of Commons.

The tsar of Russia faced no such constraints. Russia had no representative institutions to check the power of its ruler.

Moreover, it was home to millions of serfs — peasants bound to the land of a feudal lord — until 1861. Russia was an extreme example of monarchy and entrenched Old World privilege.

Despite the deep ideological chasm that divided Jefferson and Alexander, the president proudly displayed a bust of the Russian tsar at Monticello, reflecting his “particular esteem for the character of the Emperor.” Opposite the bust of Alexander faced that of Napoleon. While Jefferson lionized the former, he vilified the latter as “a cold-blooded, calculating unprincipled Usurper, without a virtue.”

The president had served as U.S. ambassador in Paris during the early years of the French Revolution, and he had celebrated the emergence of a new sister republic, which he believed shared the United States dedication to liberty. Napoleon betrayed the republican revolution in France, installing himself as dictator before becoming the self-proclaimed emperor of the French in 1804. By 1809, Napoleon was the master of Europe, with the French Empire and its satellites extending from Spain to modernday Germany.

Jefferson admired Alexander. The two leaders were not kindred spirits, but they did share a common foe in opposing the expansionist ambitions of Napoleon.

Jefferson’s celebration of Alexander was more about his hatred of Napoleon than it was about the tsar’s “enlightened” rule.

Unwilling to accept the leading role that Britain played in anchoring the numerous military coalitions of European states arrayed against Napoleon between 1803 and 1815, the president fixed upon Alexander as the savior of Europe.

Russian military power promised to rescue the United States from its awkward position as a neutral power squeezed between the belligerent British and French empires. And for this reason, Jefferson admired Alexander. The two leaders were not kindred spirits, but they did share a common foe in opposing the expansionist ambitions of Napoleon.

W

ith Trump and Putin, the situation that existed between Jefferson and Alexander I is reversed. The United States and Russia seem to share few common geopolitical goals in the 21st century. Putin is bent on extending Russia’s sphere of influence over its former imperial possessions by restoring 19th-century politics in Europe. The United States is more concerned about the future of rising Chinese power in the Indo-Pacific region.

What draws Trump to Putin is more about idolatry than ideology; more lizard brain impulse than an appreciation of whatever academics might call the Putin Doctrine. Putin is the autocratic strongman that Trump has always wanted to be. Putin is a mirror in which Trump views his own reflection. And if there is one thing we know about the former president, it’s that there is nothing in the world that he loves more than himself. n Lawrence B. A. Hatter is an award-winning author and associate professor of early American history at Washington State University. These views are his own and do not reflect those of WSU.

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MARCH 3, 2022 INLANDER 7

DOWNTOWN

TAKING CARE OF

BUSINESSES

For years Spokane property owners have hammered city government over homelessness — but as they get more organized, could they be part of the solution?

BY DANIEL WALTERS

F

or six days a week every week for seven months last year, Selkirk Development CEO Sheldon Jackson drove the long way to his office. Sometimes he’d take his Subaru, sometimes he’d take his pickup truck, but he’d always drive the same winding route, past the city gateways and underpasses, past downtown’s hot spots of homelessness and vandalism.

He’d narrate notes into his phone about each location, logging graffiti, garbage, broken windows and evidence of drug use, and counting car campers, RVs and homeless encampments. Then he’d tap out an email back in the office, grading each location on a scale of “worse, same, better, best” — with an occasional “terrible” and “disgusting” thrown in for good measure.

“A person sitting on a traffic barrier writing up his plea for drug money,” he wrote about the Browne Street overpass on one day in June. On another, he detailed “a man ripped out of his mind showing his butt to traffic, near the Salmon artwork” at Pacific and Division.

He’d call it the “Morning Camping Update,” and each day he’d send a new edition to a selection of City Council members, other elected officials and business owners. The Inlander came across his emails in unrelated public records requests for some of these officials. Sometimes, he’d include salvos against nonprofit charities like Catholic Charities and City Gate, against the mayor and the City Council. He’d

8 INLANDER MARCH 3, 2022

describe canceling his vacation to “to stay in town and secure one of my properties from damn vagrant/homeless damages.”

In one sense, Mayor Nadine Woodward’s administration has been listening. On at least one day in August, City Administrator Johnnie Perkins took over the Morning Camping Update, following the same route and issuing grades for each location.

But about four months ago, Jackson says he gave up. Checking in on multiple hotspots six days a week was taking too much time, he couldn’t find volunteers to take the monitoring over more permanently. He feels things keep getting worse year after year. Yet when the Inlander reached out, Jackson sounded almost hopeful, a far cry from his dire emails. He believes businesses like his can be a key part of the solution downtown, but also recognizes that he’s only scratched the surface of such a complicated issue.

“I’ve learned a tremendous amount” about homelessness in the past year, Jackson says, “and I’ve learned that I don’t know much about it.” ...continued on page 10

Andrew Rolwes is the interim CEO of the Downtown Spokane Partnership: “The dayto-day experience of downtown workers, property managers and property owners is that the situation has deteriorated as a result of COVID.” YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

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“W

e need results now. Nadine was elected to fix these problems,” Jackson wrote to then Neighborhoods, Housing and Human Services Director Cupid Alexander in March. “That was her platform.”

You could point to Jackson’s properties, including one Second Avenue downtown, as one reason he’s so passionate about the issue. But there’s another. Jackson says he grew up poor, in a dying logging town. He had relatives who were addicted to drugs, and every one of them, he says, died as a consequence. They never went to rehab — he says someone always swooped in before they hit rock bottom.

“I came from a heroin family and know what enabling does,” Jackson wrote to Alexander. “It kills.”

And when their email exchange grew testy, with Alexander offering to “alleviate the misguided and frankly wrong statements” he said Jackson continued to make, Jackson countered, pointing to the last city Alexander had worked for — Portland — as a grim potential future for Spokane.

“We would all rather let our leaders lead and stick to our core businesses,” Jackson wrote. “But they will not stand by and let our City turn into the City that you came from.”

Woodward tells the Inlander that Spokane has made massive strides in slashing the rate of homelessness for veterans, families and youth. But she says the city needs to zero in on chronic homelessness, the most difficult — and most visible — type of homelessness to try to solve.

“That is a tougher demographic to connect to services,” Woodward says. “And it tends to be the most expensive to help rehabilitate their lives.”

On top of an ongoing drug epidemic and massive housing crisis, the pandemic itself has continued to dog downtown.

“We have not had that activity of people visiting downtown that would disperse the transient vagrancy element we’re seeing right now,” Woodward says. “That element is much more visible and much more active.”

In a recent survey of Downtown Spokane Partnership ratepayers and newsletter subscribers, 85 percent agreed that the “downtown cannot fully recover until addiction, mental health, and public safety problems are addressed.”

“The day-to-day experience of downtown workers, property managers and property owners is that the situation has deteriorated as a result of COVID,” says Andrew Rolwes, interim CEO of Downtown Spokane Partnership.

In one thread responding to one of Jackson’s Morning Camping Updates, downtown hotel owner Jerry Dicker writes that tourists “witness the First Avenue vagrant environment” and then cancel their stay.

Hutton Settlement director Chud Wendle was hammering the City Council on homelessness and crime in 2017, too, two years before his wife at the time narrowly lost her bid to become City Council president. Last year, he formed the Spokane Business & Commercial Property Council, bringing other property owners together to lobby on the issue.

Councilwoman Betsy Wilkerson agrees that conditions have gotten worse, but she also says she’s disturbed by the way that some people refer to those suffering.

“They’re using the word ‘vagrants,’” Wilkerson says.

“That is such a dehumanizing term.”

Last spring had some of the lowest levels of reported property crime downtown in recent years. There has, however, been a recent rapid spike in property crimes since late July, roughly returning Downtown Spokane to where it was in the latter half of 2017.

Some have blamed the recent downtown crime increase on a controversial Washington police reform law that took effect last July arguably limiting the ability of police officers to question and pursue some types of suspects.

“They’re using the word ‘vagrants.’

That is such a dehumanizing term.”

“Correlation is not causation,” Rolwes says. “But there is actually very, very notable correlation there.”

But trying to parse 2021 crime stats is particularly messy. You’ve also got to contend with big changes in COVID restrictions, the eviction moratorium, stimulus checks, fading unemployment benefits, inflation and skyrocketing rents. A U.S. Government Accountability Office study released in 2020 found that median rent increases of $100 were associated with a 9 percent increase in homelessness in the communities examined.

Woodward says that downtown is being hit by all these factors, from COVID to the police reform law.

“I feel like we’re going backwards because of all these things,” Woodward says. “It’s a domino effect.”

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I

n many ways, Woodward hasn’t abandoned her campaign rhetoric. She suggests Spokane’s Community Court is a “revolving door of a social program” that offers too many chances and not enough consequences.

“We’ve got to get tough on people who aren’t willing to get help,” she says.

But legally, she’s limited. The 2018 Martin vs. Boise court decision found that if a shelter didn’t have adequate shelter space, punishing someone for sleeping outside constituted cruel and unusual punishment. The courts are still untangling exactly what cities can and can’t do as a result.

Last June, Woodward called reporters to the Browne Street viaduct to discuss her emphasis on cleaning downtown. Police officers had told the homeless campers under the viaduct to leave — offering them a ride to shelters. But numerous campers returned to the viaduct just a few hours after her press conference. Last month, the Woodward administration erected chain-link fences to narrow the sidewalks underneath the Browne’s Street viaduct, making it impossible for anyone to sleep there without blocking traffic.

On Sunday night, as a cold February rain hammers downtown, there’s plenty of trash strewn around the Browne Street viaduct, but nobody is sleeping there.

Yet there’s someone huddled underneath a sleeping bag under the overpass at Washington Street a few blocks away. There’s a tent near the Masonic Temple on Riverside Avenue.

And there are those like Greg Lopez. Wearing a gray shawl wrapped over his head to protect himself through the rain, he walks under the Browne Street viaduct but doesn’t stop to rest.

On a handful of occasions in the years he’s been

homeless, Lopez says, he has slept in doorways, under bridges, outside businesses. He outlines a basic code to follow. Keep the spot clean. Get up early. Maybe even ask the property owner if they’re OK with it.

He’s been to shelters, but more often, he says, he doesn’t sleep at night at all. He doesn’t feel safe.

“I have phobias,” he says. “I’ll just walk around, that’s it.”

I

n November, Woodward launched the Mayor’s Advisory Council on Downtown Environment — a group of downtown property owners, nonprofit leaders and city officials — tasked with providing enough resources for homeless people and “ensuring that sidewalks and storefronts remain safe and accessible to the public.”

Meanwhile, Washington Trust Bank hired Chris Patterson, a former Woodward adviser, and made him part of a coalition of business leaders and nonprofits called Hello For Good, aiming to address complicated issues like homelessness.

“We are looking for solid solutions that are not politically charged in any way,” Patterson stresses in an email.

Yet as Woodward tries to satisfy local businesses and neighborhoods, political controversy can be inevitable.

LETTERS Last month, her administration Send comments to pulled the plug on a proposed editor@inlander.com. temporary shelter on city property in Hillyard, thanks to a flood of business and neighborhood opposition.

“Word got out about our planning for a possible shelter there, and it went sideways very quickly,” Woodward says.

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Local activists like James Leighty, meanwhile, have been extremely critical of business owners like Jackson.

Leighty, who came across Jackson’s emails repeatedly in his public records requests, accuses Jackson of being someone who “doesn’t care about homeless people as much as aesthetics.”

And yet, Jackson has won praise from perhaps the most unexpected corner: Julie Garcia of the sometimes controversial Jewels Helping Hands nonprofit, which helped resurrect “Camp Hope,” a tent city intentionally erected directly outside City Hall as a way to protest Spokane’s lack of available shelter beds.

Garcia may seem like Jackson’s opposite. But in another way, she’s his mirror. Camp Hope was, in its own way, a way to deliver the same flavor of message that Jackson did: that the city had failed to adequately address homelessness.

“What we’ve been doing is trying to bring the problem to the attention of the city,” Jackson says. “Asking the city to do their job.”

In a series of text messages, Garcia writes that Jackson’s views have shifted over time. He has been willing to learn, she writes, that “forcing folks off the street isn’t possible” and that often low-barrier options are crucial.

“He has taken time to understand why folks’ behaviors are the way they are,” she writes. “He believes in compassion with accountability, so do I.” Today, Jackson doesn’t necessarily leap at the opportunity for a crackdown.

“If you’re doing sweeps today without a shelter for these people, you’re probably just pushing them around,” Jackson says. “We’re not trying to sweep them under the rug. We’re trying to help them get into a better place.” n

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BETTING THE RANCH STORY BY LEE VAN DER VOO/HIGH COUNTRY NEWS ILLUSTRATIONS BY CRISTIANA COUCEIRO

12 INLANDER MARCH 3, 2022

Eastern Washington ranching mogul Cody Easterday wagered hundreds of millions of dollars on the price of beef.

He lost.

A

fter the fraud at Easterday Ranches was discovered, owner Gale Easterday steered his pickup onto the off-ramp of the highway and drove head-on into a semi-truck that was delivering his farm’s potatoes.

The afternoon of Dec. 10 was cloudy but clear, the roads unencumbered. And Easterday, who was 79, had been making his usual rounds in an industrial part of Pasco, Washington. He was at the helm of four generations of farming and ranching, a multimillion-dollar operation that grew, packed and shipped a massive amount of onions and potatoes, plus raised beef on feedlots outside of town. His family owned nearby facilities — huge operations involving conveyor belts and forklifts that hoisted pallets onto delivery trucks. Several of the company’s contractors were based in the corrugated metal shops nearby.

He often ran errands there, or stopped to chat with the dozens of mechanics employed to tinker with the part of the business he loved best: the farm machines.

But on his way out of town, Easterday steered his Dodge Ram onto a highway off-ramp. It was a particularly confusing stretch, and not an uncommon error for the spot. Police records show as much. He ascended the exit ramp, past signs that warned “wrong way,” and rounded the bend onto the interstate, colliding with a vehicle driven by his own delivery man. It happened very fast. The semi driver could not have avoided it. When he tried, too late, to swerve, the truck and its potato haul screamed across the highway, crossed the center median, and came to a jolting rest on the opposite side, blocking all of the lanes. Officers who questioned the driver found him badly shaken. Another truck had broadsided the semi on its course across the asphalt, and he had scarcely avoided driving over the top of it. Two more cars were struck by flying debris, their occupants mostly unscathed.

Easterday, however, was dead; his Ram decimated.

State troopers had the grim task of contacting his family and puzzling over the scene. There were no tire marks where he might have braked, no sign that he had attempted to avoid the crash.

Afterward, along with heartbreak, there was bewilderment and disbelief. Conjecture in the metal shops and on ranches ran the gamut from illness to injury to suicide. But within two weeks of his death, everyone would know what Gale Easterday likely knew that day: Tyson Fresh Meats — one of the nation’s largest meat distributors — was investigating Easterday Ranches and slowly discovering that Gale’s son, Cody, had sold them hundreds of thousands of cattle that never existed.

The deceit that soon unspooled may seem like a oneoff fraud. But while it is indeed an anomaly — an expansive hoodwinking far from normal by ranching standards — it exposed a problem widespread in the beef business, which is that the price of a steak has increasingly little to do with the cost of fattening a steer. That circumstance requires ranchers to shoulder tremendous financial risks.

And while it has made corporations the beneficiaries of declining rural wealth, it has also wrought awful wreckage for ranching communities and rural families.

Gale’s son tried to outplay this system and lost.

Maybe he was never going to win.

BEFORE THE MATTER OF THE NONEXISTENT CATTLE, Easterday was a name of distinction. Easterday Farms had been a part of Washington’s Tri-Cities — the agricultural trifecta of Richland, Pasco and Kenne-

wick — since 1958, back when Ervine Easterday, Gale’s father, saw his fortune in the new freshwater from the Grand Coulee Dam and purchased land in the Columbia Basin. Four generations in, the Easterdays were a powerhouse of ranching and farming. The farm, at a sweeping 18,000 acres, was 60 times its original size, dominated by the potatoes and onions. The family had launched Easterday Ranches along the way, a “finishing operation” that raised cattle from weaning to the slaughterhouse after four or five months of fattening.

The ranch was mammoth by Northwest standards.

By the end of 2020, it was producing 2% of the cattle supplied to Tyson, which is a lot. A multinational monolith, Tyson produced one out of every five pounds of chicken, beef and pork in the United States and made $43.2 billion in sales every year. As beef industry heavyweights go, Tyson has few equals. Cody, the youngest of Gale’s children with his wife, Karen, eventually held the reins of the family’s partnership with Tyson. In 1989, Cody joined the business with his wife, Debby, when he was barely 18, and the couple became co-owners with his parents.

In the daily hum of this meat-making venture and on the farm, Cody was described by one worker as the embodiment of its bustle.

“He is on the go all the time, trying to see what he can come up with or buy,” said Johnny Gamino, who worked as a mechanic on Easterday’s many tractors, trailers, trucks and machines for 15 years. “He was almost like anxious — anxious to do something, get something accomplished. He’s always on the run.”

Working with him and his father was easy to enjoy, Gamino said. Both Cody and Gale treated their staff like equals and looked after them like they looked after their own. When they recruited Gamino, for example, the Easterdays doubled his salary and afterward advanced him $6,000 to buy the land on which he made his home.

To work with the Easterdays was to be part of a circuit of father-and-son pitstops, check-ins and brainstorms. Cody was frequently at top efficiency, and Gale was often toting Cody’s three boys in his pickup, the next generation in training. The duo were industrious, driven and often on the hunt for opportunities and deals, angling to better the farm and ranch.

“What I liked about him was that if anybody wanted to talk to him … he would make time for us,” Gamino said.

By all outward appearances in the fall of 2020, the Easterdays looked better than good. They employed hundreds of workers in their packing plants and on the ranch and farm, and contracted crews for seasonal labor. They were donors and boosters for Republican candidates and campaigns, gifted livestock to fairs in three counties, and sponsored one of the region’s biggest rodeos, the Pendleton Round-Up. From steer wrestling to barrel races, they were fixtures in arena box seats and in the community, too.

But there was trouble.

Over the fiscal year ending in 2020, Easterday Ranches’ gross revenues had declined by almost half from the previous year, from $111 million to $65 million. And the ranches’ investments had been wiped out entirely. The farm was similarly failing, with gross revenues falling from $82 million to $52 million and interest income on investments diving even as the stock market was booming. ...continued on next page

MARCH 3, 2022 INLANDER 13

GHOST CATTLE “BETTING THE RANCH,” CONTINUED...

Coronavirus slowdowns at meatpackers surely accounted for some of the loss — cattle were hard to sell in 2020 while plants sputtered, labor was scarce and the supply chain shifted from restaurants to grocery stores.

But a longstanding problem was also threatening the businesses: For years, Cody Easterday had been piling up staggering debts gambling on the future price of beef.

To cover his losses, he invented whole herds of cattle on paper, then sold them to Tyson while pretending to raise them on the ranch. In November, after a Tyson worker came to take stock of its herd, Easterday confessed the phony invoicing — for the cattle that didn’t exist, and feed for the nonexistent animals. One particularly eye-catching invoice charged $5.3 million for eight lots of cattle that couldn’t be found anywhere other than on paper.

Cody Easterday, through an attorney, declined to be interviewed for this story. Court records explained much of the rest. Maybe the daily ingenuity involved in running the farm and ranch — the deal-hunting and the thirst for productivity — explains a little of why Cody Easterday fell prey to the allure of betting everything his family built. But personal predilection this was not, not entirely.

TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE EASTERDAYS unraveled in this system, first you have to know that the system is rigged. And that to be a rancher is to be a gambler — at least in a business sense — because the market for beef is more about enriching corporations than paying ranchers a fair share.

The primary challenge is that 73% of the beef in the U.S. is controlled by four corporations. That’s it. Despite the array of colorfully packaged this-and-that in the grocery store, the corporations either create or acquire the brands that give consumers a fairly anemic range of choice. The meat inside might come from different farms, be raised in different ways, or vary in quality. But at the end of the day, it is bought, packaged and shipped by the same few actors. And because of their market heft, these corporations increasingly influence how the products are made and the prices paid to ranchers to make them.

Tyson is among these market heavyweights, along with JBS, Cargill and Marfrig.

Ranchers have long complained about lowball prices from these companies. Nationwide, data from the United States Department of Agriculture shows they have reason to. Profits for ranchers have trended slimmer almost every year since the late 1980s, when those prices were first tracked. By 2020, the same year the Easterday empire began to crumble, a rancher’s share of the value of boxed beef shipped to retailers was 37.3%, down nearly 27% since 2015, when it was 51.5%. This while

the consumer price of beef soared higher than ever.

These disappearing earnings were captured by the corporations. They’ve made enormous gains by pulling profits from both sides of the business: pushing pay for ranchers down while also benefiting from the rising price of beef for consumers. Tyson disputes that the company has this much influence over consumer costs, or that consolidation has been a factor. Feeding America requires scale, its officials say. But this capitalistic pursuit — scale — is a primary reason why so many ranchers are going out of business, especially when drought and the high price of hay add other pressures. It’s also why the beef business is consolidating among ranchers like the Easterdays, who instead of raising a few hundred head of cattle on rangeland, raised them by the tens of thousands in feedlots. That industry parlance — feedlots — is shorthand for saying the cattle are raised in pen after pen after pen on dirt squares that look from the sky like enormous bingo cards.

Inside this system, Easterday was playing an impossible game.

As cattle prices steadily declined, his negotiating power diminished. That’s because while meatpackers like Tyson were buying up all the brands and slaughterhouses, they eliminated his ability to shop around. There were only two corporations operating near enough his ranch to buy his herds. He was already selling to both, including Tyson.

When he entered into his most recent contract with Tyson in 2014, the corporation offered him a deal that’s increasingly common: Tyson agreed to front Easterday the cash to buy weaned calves and to feed them, and to buy the cattle back from Easterday at market rates when they were grown. Tyson would pay premiums for beef quality, and discounts for deficiencies. But while that might seem like a sound arrangement, one with clear expectations and guarantees, it isn’t. That’s because once the cattle were grown, Easterday had to repay Tyson the money the company had loaned him to buy and feed them. Plus, he owed 4% interest on that money. And because no one can know what the market price of beef will be in some months, he never knew whether he would break even. So while this deal brought millions in cash from Tyson to Easterday Ranches in the short term, it could also send that money — and sometimes more — back again. If the price of beef was good, Easterday pocketed the difference.

If the price was bad, he was stuck for the loss.

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This practice is called formula contracting. It’s a type of forward contract, or a contract that sets prices in the future. And it is not always a ruinous position to be in.

But it is risky when contracting with a company like Tyson, because Tyson’s market heft can drive the price of cattle down by eliminating cash competition. Tyson points out the upsides: steady income, reliable markets and easier access to bank loans. But there’s no disputing that formula contracting depresses the price of a steer.

By spring of 2020, formula contracting ballooned to 70% of the market for cattle, more than double what it was 15 years earlier.

“You’ve always got Tyson and all those big plants saying, ‘You guys have got to get your costs down.’

And we’re sitting here going, ‘We can’t pencil that, that doesn’t work.’”

CODY EASTERDAY MUST HAVE FACED colossal pressure. In addition to employing workers who depended on the farm and ranch, the Easterdays had hundreds of accounts around town. For fuel, for machinery, for fertilizer and things like hay. In those corrugated metal shops where Gale Easterday spent his last day running errands, he was on a first-name basis with the owners of the local enterprises there. After four generations of success, his credit — Cody’s credit, too — it was their name.

Ranchers can manage the financial uncertainty of raising beef as such a middleman. But to do it well is to treat it more like buying insurance than like a night at the poker table. And ranchers need two things: One is an awful lot of cattle, and the other is a stockbroker.

This is how it works: Ranchers with more than 50,000 pounds of living, breathing, snorting mammal can go to the Chicago Mercantile Exchange — the agrarian equivalent of the New York Stock Exchange — and buy what’s called a futures contract. It’s a paper trade, that’s all. A place to trade bets with investors who are wagering on the future price of beef. With the help of a stockbroker, ranchers can carefully wager against their cattle to make a little extra profit, just in case the market price doesn’t go their way.

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14 INLANDER MARCH 3, 2022

Say, for example, that the break-even price on a herd is $1.30 per pound in June. That rancher might buy a futures contract for $1.34, looking to make a profit of 4 cents. That way if the market price turns out to be only $1.20 by June, the rancher might have lost 10 cents per pound on the cost of feeding his cattle, but still netted 4 cents a pound by trading paper. This is how a guy in Greenwich, Connecticut, can come to be placing bets on tens of thousands of pounds of cattle without ever setting foot in a feedlot. And that’s a good thing, because he’s the only one left driving the price of beef up for the rancher.

Some people play this system quite well. Ron Rowan is the director of risk management for Beef Northwest Feeders, another cattle finishing operation in Oregon, and trades cattle futures for a living. Rowan’s knowledge of the beef industry helps him manage the risk at his cattle-fattening enterprise while the guy in Greenwich takes on a share of risk, too. Rowan says the incentives in the formula contracts — the premiums paid for higher quality — combine with this trading to drive better beef cuts and grades.

“We’re producing — in my opinion, and look at the statistics, too — the highest-quality beef that we’ve ever produced.” More choice prime. Happier customers. Increased demand. Tyson officials point to these benefits as perks of the current system.

But little ranches can’t play this game. That rangeland? That Western grit and independence? The smallest of players — specifically the ones that rely on grass and forage to feed cattle — are often too small to trade on the exchange. They don’t have enough pounds of mammal.

“It’s not looking rosy,” said Toni Meacham, a rancher in her early 40s who has a second income as an attorney. “You’ve always got Tyson and all those big plants saying, ‘You guys have got to get your costs down.’ And we’re sitting here going, ‘We can’t pencil that, that doesn’t work.’” One of her colleagues bought a grocery store to capture more money on his beef. Another started selling directly to consumers.

Some ranchers forgo the market altogether now. Federal data shows that the largest percentage of ranchers raise 10 or fewer cattle for themselves, maybe a few friends. In recent testimony to Congress about Western drought, which was so severe in 2021 that irrigation water was scarce, several ranchers described selling off herds at significant losses, unable to buy hay while grass wouldn’t grow and profits were too slim to afford it. Whether those ranchers can borrow their way back into business in another year is unknown. But last spring, cattle moved in droves to large feedlots in places like Nebraska, Kansas and Texas where grass was abundant. That means cattle moved away from the open ranges that are beef’s Americana, and off the free-roaming lands that consumers value.

For the ranchers that remain in business, raising beef is an enterprise of scale — scale and futures trading. But for them, there is another potential snag: While futures trades on the price of beef can earn big, they are extremely risky when they angle into gambling. ...continued on next page

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MARCH 3, 2022 INLANDER 15

GHOST CATTLE “BETTING THE RANCH,” CONTINUED...

This is the territory that Cody Easterday found himself in: on a first-name basis with at least one stockbroker. Easterday’s first recorded big loss was in 2011, when court records show he lost almost $14 million. He lost another $17 million in 2012.

The following year, another $10 million, then another $20 million. Then he won: In 2015, a haul of nearly $7 million turned his luck. But the victory was brief. In 2016, he lost another $6 million. That year, with losses piled high and cash undoubtedly short, Easterday told employees to submit fake invoices to Tyson, a criminal investigation found, billing for cattle he never bought and feed for those imaginary animals. Then he used the cash to pay down his debts and bet some more.

It worked. Sort of. Tyson paid the tab, and Easterday used Tyson’s money to pay down his trading debts. But Easterday quickly lost another $18 million. So he invoiced Tyson for more cattle and more feed he didn’t have. Then he bet again, losing $58 million in 2018. For the next two years, he was in a nasty cycle, billing Tyson for imaginary cattle, then paying down the losses and trading again. Some of the fake invoices included pen numbers, the animals’ gender, even a financial analysis of their prospects in the market. Each sought millions of dollars for thousands of head of cattle. Hundreds of thousands of them were never real.

By the time Tyson began to suspect the fraud, in November 2020, Easterday had lost more than $200 million in the futures market. When confronted by a Tyson worker, and next a trio of corporate honchos, he told them all he had “screwed up” and “pissed it away on the Merc.” He disputed that he had been stealing, called the phony invoices “forward billing” instead.

LOTS OF CATTLEMEN WILL TELL YOU that Cody Easterday is an outlier. That he fudged receipts, cooked books, made up livestock that were never there. They are quick to note that this is fraud, that it was illegal, that it is very far afield of the normal business dealings of a ranch.

They also say that Easterday may have had a gambling problem. All of that might be true.

But what’s certainly true is that the price of a steak is increasingly untethered from the cost of raising cattle. And that the scenario drives ranchers to operate on margins so perilously slim that speculative trading is necessary and spectacular failure possible. Tyson officials say their margins are also slim, slimmer than ranchers’ margins once you factor in all the costs.

Only a portion of the company’s $43.2 billion in sales is profit.

But for Easterday, spectacular failure is what happened next.

Tyson’s inquiry quickly revealed that at least 200,000 head of cattle purported to be in the care of Easterday Ranches were, in fact, made up. It added up to $233 million in losses for Tyson. The corporation soon disclosed as much to shareholders, along with its own overstated financials.

Then, in January, Tyson filed suit against Easterday Ranches to reclaim the money. By the first week of February, while the Easterdays were likely still mourning the death of Gale Easterday, both the farm and the ranch had filed for bankruptcy, their fates left to a federal court.

In a capitalist system, failure like this is felt hardest by the people with the least protection. The people in the box seats at the county fair — the kind of seat that Cody Easterday still claimed — would survive. It’s the workers that earn the least that are at risk to be hardest hit: the seasonal, often undocumented, laborers employed by farms, who are paid piecemeal through third parties for tasks far from the looping highways and bridges of the Tri-Cities, out in the land of irrigation pivots and row crops.

Take Jesus Caldero, for example. He’s an occasional laborer who also works at a farmworker housing complex run by a Seattle-based health clinic. In a brightly colored dormitory there one day, he described through a translator how, in early spring, workers begin at 3 in the morning, ground lit

16 INLANDER MARCH 3, 2022

by headlamps, to race the rising sun while picking asparagus.

“The way you’re positioned, after 10 a.m., it’s very hot,” he said. He stood to demonstrate, hinging himself at the hips, bending forward to grab a plastic water bottle on the floor by its base. “It’s very uncomfortable.” The trick, Caldero said, is to get up slowly for the first two weeks. Never fast. After that the body, strangely, adjusts. Workers travel between six and 10 miles in this position every day, paid by how much they pick. Usual earnings are around $300 a day.

Easterday Farms contracted hundreds of workers annually. When Easterday filed for bankruptcy, it owed $47,000 and $454,000, respectively, to two farm labor contractors who supplied such workers. Called FLCs for short, the companies — Rangeview Ag Labor and Labor Plus Solutions — hire the migrant and local laborers who work the fields, most of whom come from the Latinx community. FLCs organize, transport and manage pay for these crews, which in turn supply farms like Easterday with frequent on-demand help doing these most difficult and timely chores.

Spokespeople for both companies declined to be interviewed, but Erik Nicholson, the former vice president of United Farm Workers, who is now a consultant, said the outstanding sums would be painful blows for both. “Most of the FLCs are woefully undercapitalized,” he said. “They operate paycheck to paycheck. For an FLC, that is a huge hit.”

These kinds of losses also hit the corrugated metal shops.

At the Olberding Seed warehouse, set on a thin tract of land between the airport and the railroad, the tab was $160,000.

It was $503,000 at Industrial Ventilation. The Easterdays supported mechanics and parts stores and irrigation specialists all over town, often keeping large accounts open. All told, 230 small businesses were owed money, from small sums to millions. All were at the back of the line by bankruptcy standards, outranked by creditors like Washington Trust Bank, Rabo AgriFinance and John Deere Financial, which brought their own litigation, anxious to be paid for loans.

Those heavyweights were secured by contracts or collateral, something other than friendship.

Repaying all of them seemed an outsized task. In addition to the $233 million owed to Tyson, there was $223 million in debts across the ranch and farm for usual things. Mortgages, bank loans, purchase agreements for vehicles. Only $51 million remained in assets. In a bankruptcy hearing, an attorney for Easterday Ranches acknowledged the shortfall, telling a judge, “The pie is not big enough.” He said he was shopping a settlement agreement to avoid the years of litigation that could erupt in a fight for what was left.

Still, few small business owners wanted to talk about the money Easterday owed them. “You don’t get paid, you move on,” said Brad Curtis, whose farm was owed $112,000 for feed. He reasoned that if money was left over, much of it would probably be eaten up by attorneys.

Others also demurred, a verbal shrug, as if the shock of losing the money was less than the shock of losing an institution like Easterday Farms. Business with the Easterdays had always been good, they said. Worth the trouble for this stretch of bad. And maybe business with the Easterdays would be good again with the cousins or siblings or sons who remained. They suffered the loss and claimed not to be bitter with Cody. They talked of his community leadership. Of sticking together. Of proud traditions like raising your own livestock and eating steak.

Cody Easterday invented at least 200,000 head of cattle.

AFTER TYSON REPORTED Cody Easterday’s fraud, federal investigators swooped in for their own examination, referring to the situation in shorthand as the “Ghost-Cattle Scam,” while ranchers called it “Cattlegate.” Tyson continued with its own investigation, dispatching the corporate honchos to debrief Easterday in a pair of meetings in which ...continued on next page

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MARCH 3, 2022 INLANDER 17

GHOST CATTLE “BETTING THE RANCH,” CONTINUED... he detailed how he’d scammed them, sharing meticulous notes on the cattle, even the imaginary ones. Tyson employees, shocked by his stoicism and cool demeanor, checked his math by flying drones over the ranch to count the cattle.

On March 24, the Department of Justice charged Cody Easterday with a single count of wire fraud for sending the fake invoices to Tyson over email. In charging papers, Easterday was also accused, not only of bilking Tyson out of $233,008,042, but of replicating the scam with an unnamed company and defrauding that one of another $11,023,084.

Easterday’s capitulation was swift. Within a week, he pleaded guilty to the charges, agreed to pay $244,031,132 in restitution and began awaiting sentencing for possible jail time. By the end of May, the farm was set to be auctioned. Easterday was in Idaho on vacation, visiting his daughter for the birth of a grandchild with permission from a federal judge.

In the interim, because the coronavirus had bottlenecked beef processing and prices for consumers had spiked, pay for ranchers had fallen to an historic low of 31.1% before rebounding to 35.8% by June. The USDA had investigated, as had the American Farm Bureau Federation. They didn’t find any price fixing between Tyson and the other meat companies. Nothing illegal.

But before long, white papers began to point to formula contracts as a key driver of the falling rates of pay. The USDA suggested one possible fix could be to create more trading tools for smaller ranchers, allowing those with fewer cattle to get in on the trading game. This way those ranchers who were shipping cattle south could also hedge their herds.

In June, while the Biden administration was talking of breaking up the corporate meat oligopoly, bidders for Easterday Farms and Ranches were few. The bankruptcy court opted not to split the four generations of sprawling business. While small pieces might have stayed in the hands of other smaller operators, the court reasoned it could capture more money for debts more quickly in one whopping sale. The onions and potatoes. Row crops, plus cherries and grapes. A feedlot (another had been sold).

Onion and potato storages, other buildings, too. Plus piles and piles of land and land leases totaling 22,500 acres, 12,100 of them irrigated. All were advertised to whatever deep pocket could come along and help Cody Easterday and his lawyers bail water.

Only two buyers made offers. Both were real estate investment firms that turned profits on ag land. One was Cottonwood Ag Management, a subsidiary of Cascade Investment, owned by Bill Gates. The other was Farmland Reserve, the investment arm of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the parent company of AgriNorthwest, which operates farms in and around the Tri-Cities and elsewhere. It won the farm with a bid of $209 million.

After that, anyone curious to see the old Easterday farm would need an airplane and a bit of time. AgriNorthwest had surrounded and dwarfed Easterday Farms for years, owning hundreds of thousands of acres north of the Columbia River and east of Highway 395, south to Hermiston and Boardman in Oregon. Though the company hired a quarter of Easterday Farms’ staff and rebooted many of their family’s contracts in the community, the transition to investor ownership could mean fewer donations to the county fairs, local Republican candidates and other causes the Easterdays championed.

Proceeds from the farm and ranch are not intended to benefit whoever lives here now; it’s to pad the profits of the LDS Church.

18 INLANDER MARCH 3, 2022

Such behemoths are the heirs apparent to more than just the Easterdays’ lost fortunes. In an era of downsizing farms and ranches, they are the chief beneficiaries of farm economies that increasingly revolve around commodities of scale and investment. Maybe this was good news for Cody Easterday, who could finally gain something from the consolidation and higher prices.

WHEN THE SALE WAS OVER, bales of straw were tarped by the hundred in a long, tall row outside a former Easterday feedlot. There were no cattle inside the hundreds of pens, just a flat expanse of soil and an eerie quiet in this place where millions of cattle once lived, and hundreds of thousands of invented ones never did.

Down the hill, a row of farm machines lined a field that sloped skyward to meet the blue day. Tractors, trucks, trailers, a bulldozer, a couple of golf carts, next about to be auctioned.

The family had scrambled for what last money it could. Over the farm’s last year, the Easterdays secured $2.6 million in pandemic-related Paycheck Protection Program relief, the Tri-City Herald, a local paper, reported.

Court records show credit card bills in Debby Easterday’s name were paid — $153,405.19. And another $30,249.72 in cash was spent for things like trips to Costco and plants. Someone took a $3,200 trip to the periodontist.

And $23,000 in tuition was sent to a college in Virginia.

The money flowed with an ease unlikely to resume.

Even as the government comes for the rest of what is his through bankruptcy court, Cody Easterday’s still a fixture in the box seats at the rodeo. He got a second hall pass from a federal judge to visit the new grandbaby in Idaho. But he’s now scheduled to be sentenced on June 13 — his third continuance granted by federal courts. He faces up to 20 years in prison, and fines.

The next generation of Easterdays who might have otherwise inherited what he lost — the grandsons who spent their youth riding shotgun in Gale’s pickup — now farm farther from the Tri-Cities. The land is southwest of Boardman in Oregon, where much of what’s for rent is owned by another real estate investment firm. It’s also near the 28,000-cow dairy that Cody’s son proposes to operate instead of his father. But it’s unclear whether the dairy — a hoped-for venture that’s all that’s left of the Easterday empire — will ever start up. It has a history of environmental violations under a former owner and may never get the permits it needs. And it’s still unknown whether the dairy can avoid being embroiled in the tangle of debts that have ensnared the farm and ranch.

For now, it’s just a handful of buildings, plus aisle after aisle of empty cow corrals — another place where the animals that might have lived here are only ghosts. n “Betting the Ranch” first appeared on High Country News (hcn.org). Lee van der Voo is a journalist based in Oregon. She tweets infrequently. Follow @lvdvoo.

THEATER

SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES Broadway favorite Wicked returns to Spokane, with a longtime fan in her dream role of Elphaba

BY MADISON PEARSON

Talia Suskauer embraces her inner witch in Wicked. JOAN MARCUS PHOTO

W

icked is iconic, one of the most well-known, recognizable and downright spectacular shows to ever grace stages around the world — whether musical theater is your jam or not. This retelling of a Gregory Maguire novel of the same name has a humorous, politically poignant script that’s accompanied by roaring compositions by Stephen Schwartz.

Wicked is a continuation of the beloved tale The Wizard of Oz, starting from the moment Glinda (the Good Witch) announces to the people of Oz that the Wicked Witch has melted. Glinda goes on to tell the story of the history of the Wicked Witch, using her given name Elphaba: how she was born with green skin, making her an outsider her entire life; how her and Elphaba attended school together; and, how they worked together, despite being a pair of unlikely friends, to take down the corrupt government of Oz. The original production of Wicked premiered on

Broadway in 2003 and became an instant hit, winning a Tony Award for Best Musical as well as a Grammy.

Wicked has been touring nationally since 2005, making stops in Spokane twice before, in 2011 and 2014. Now it’s returning for 24 shows running March 9 to 27.

Many young performers dream of playing a role in the show, from the intensely sweet Glinda to the fiery Nessarose. However, one role is highly coveted among musical theater performers: Elphaba. The role requires vocal agility and the skill to pull off a changing personality — a harmonious blend between subdued and wildly passionate.

As the main character of the show, Elphaba is a dynamic role that teaches young people to pursue their dreams, no matter how wild. Literally teaching them to rise above, fly and defy the odds of what society believes is possible. The role was originated by Idina Menzel in 2003 alongside Kristen Chenoweth as her counterpart,

Glinda, and is now being played in theaters all over the U.S. by Talia Suskauer.

The latest national tour of Wicked was interrupted in 2020 when theaters across the country closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, giving Suskauer six months to portray Elphaba, rather than the usual year, before the show went on hiatus.

“Now we’re back on the road and in cities for up to six weeks at a time,” she says. “I love to explore the cities, find the best coffee shops and restaurants by talking to all of the locals. It guarantees a great stint in a city.”

S

uskauer grew up in South Florida, attending both a middle school and a high school for the arts.

Her love for theater was always apparent, but it wasn’t until 2005 when she envisioned herself portraying Elphaba. ...continued on next page

MARCH 3, 2022 INLANDER 19

HOME OF THE SPOKANE SYMPHONY

CULTURE | THEATER

THE FOX THEATER Spokane Symphony Masterworks

THE GENESIS OF THE SPOKANE SYMPHONY

James Lowe, conductor • Archie Chen, piano Sat, March 5, 8pm • Sun., March 6, 3pm Emporium Presents

STRAIGHT NO CHASER BACK IN THE HIGH LIFE TOUR 2022 Mon., March 7, 7:30pm

WHITWORTH WIND SYMPHONY: WIND CURRENTS 2022 with special guests Lewis & Clark High School Wind Ensemble & Ferris High School Wind Ensemble Mon., March 14, 7:30pm Free Admission Spokane Symphony

CARMINA BURANA

James Lowe, conductor • Dawn Wolski, soprano Aaron Agulay, baritone • Christopher Pfund, tenor Spokane Symphony Chorale Sat., March 19, 8pm Spokane Youth Symphony

REJOICE IN ARTISTRY Sun., March 20, 4pm

JULIA SWEENEY: OLDER AND WIDER – LIVE TAPING Sat., March 26, 4pm and 8pm Presented by DDA

THE GLENN MILLER ORCHESTRA Wed., March 30, 7pm

#IMOMSOHARD: THE GETAWAY TOUR Sun., April 3, 7pm

Presented by Whitworth University Music Department

MARIA SCHNEIDER WITH THE WITHWORTH JAZZ ENSEMBLE Sat., April 9, 8pm Fox Presents

NAPOLEON DYNAMITE: THE FILM & A CONVERSATION WITH THE STARS! Sat., April 16, 7:30pm

THE FILM AND A CONVERSATION WITH JON HEDER “NAPOLEON” and EFREN RAMIREZ “PEDRO”

APRIL 16 7:30pm

Fox Presents

Box Office 624-1200

SpokaneSymphony.org • FoxTheaterSpokane.org Chec k websit e for COVID-19 Safety Prot ocols

20 INLANDER MARCH 3, 2022

“SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES,” CONTINUED...

“I went to New York City with my mom and my sister then,” she says. “We saw Wicked and I remember it so vividly: Elphaba was played by Shoshanna Bean. That’s when it became my dream role. I’ve always dreamed of portraying her onstage.”

After graduating from Penn State with her BFA in musical theater, Suskauer joined the original off-Broadway run of Be More Chill and followed it to the Lyceum Theatre once it officially opened on Broadway in March 2019. Just a few months later after Be More Chill closed, Suskauer found herself painted green and performing her first show as Elphaba, like she had always pictured. This didn’t come without worry. Suskauer had dreamed of this role since age 7, and she felt the immense pressure to portray Elphaba in the right way.

“It’s an honor and an important mission for me,” she says. “I want to play and represent her well and fully. I get to bring this iconic character, that everyone knows and loves, to a different light, and I don’t take it lightly.”

Most of Wicked’s grandiose numbers are Elphaba’s alone: “The Wizard and I,” “No Good Deed” and, most importantly, “Defying Gravity.” All signify huge turning points in the show and have become legendary musical theater classics.

“It’s cliche,” she says, “but ‘Defying Gravity’ is my favorite song to perform. Every Elphaba puts their own spin on it. My mission is to sing the lyrics and kind of just say what they mean.”

The lyrics of the musical’s signature song are impactful, showing Elphaba’s defiance of social categorization and her acceptance of her outsider status — the motifs scattered throughout the score by Schwartz come to a head and Elphaba is lifted up above the stage, showing the audience that she is now, truly, the Wicked Witch of the West.

“Every night I get to perform with this amazing cast,” she says. “People who I consider my family. And every night that I step into her boots is an important journey that I get to take.” n Wicked • March 9-27; Tue-Fri at 7:30 pm, Sat at 2 and 7:30 pm, Sun at 1 and 6:30 pm • $54-$153 • First Interstate Center for the Arts • 334 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. • 509-279-7000

Talia Suskauer (left) and Allison Bailey as Elphaba and Glinda. JOAN MARCUS PHOTO

BROADWAY IN SPOKANE 2022-23 The STCU Best of Broadway new season was announced this week, and while there are more special engagements expected, here’s the season as it looks right now:  Hadestown, July 5-10  Hairspray, Sept. 20-25  Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations, Jan. 17-22, 2023  Dear Evan Hanson, March 14-19, 2023  Disney’s Aladdin, June 27-July 2, 2023

Renewals for current season-ticket holders starts March 1. New season tickets available starting March 5. Single ticket sales will open for season-ticket holders April 14. And single tickets will go on sale to the public April 29. (DAN NAILEN)

CULTURE | CLASSICAL

Back to the Beginning For next concert, the Spokane Symphony celebrates 75-plus years by plucking from its archives

BY E.J. IANNELLI

O

n Dec. 18, 1945, barely three months after the formal end of World War II, the Spokane Philharmonic Orchestra took the stage of the Masonic Temple Auditorium for the first concert in its inaugural season. Conductor Harold Paul Whelan raised his baton and led the 72 musicians in a performance of the overture to Christoph Gluck’s Iphigeneia in Aulis.

Drawing on the mythologized prelude to the Trojan War, Gluck’s opera asks if the price of honor can ever be too great.

The philharmonic was the precursor of today’s Spokane Symphony Orchestra, and Whelan, then a recent Spokane transplant, is credited as being the prime mover in its creation. For the next 17 years, he would work to guide the organization through some fairly rocky periods — including the one that resulted in the change to its current name in 1961.

During his research for The Sound of Spokane, a chronicle of the Spokane Symphony’s origins and evolution, historian Jim Kershner encountered plenty of drama on a par with the ancient Greek epics.

“There were mutinies against conductors, there were strikes and various other labor conflicts,” he says. One infamous incident in the 1980s relegated the orchestra to being the backing band to a kazoo novelty act. A smoldering showdown of wills played out onstage between musical director Donald Thulean and concertmaster Kelly Farris.

“But, on the other hand, there were all these really high moments. They did things that symphonies of this size usually don’t get to do. They did world premieres by well-known composers, and some of the most famous names in classical music history have played with the symphony.”

Rattling off like names like Itzhak Perlman, Ella Fitzgerald, Thomas Hampson and Claudio Arrau, Kershner makes special mention of Gunther Schuller, a titan of the jazz and classical music worlds, who led the Spokane Symphony in the aftermath of the Kazoophony debacle.

W

ith its official 75th anniversary season derailed by the pandemic, the Spokane Symphony is belatedly celebrating that rich history in this weekend’s Masterworks concert. Titled “The Genesis of the SSO,” the first piece on the program is, fittingly, Gluck’s Iphigeneia in Aulis overture.

“Seventy-six years ago, these are the very first notes that the audience would have heard from the Spokane Symphony,” says Music Director James Lowe. “We simply had to open with that.”

Aside from its symbolic value, one of the benefits of an archival program is that it gives lesser-known works a chance to step back into the spotlight.

“Tastes change. Composers come in and out of

Spokane pianist Archie Chen survived a COVID scare to perform with the Spokane Symphony this weekend. vogue. Iphigeneia in Aulis is not an unpopular opera, but this overture really has fallen out of favor a bit. Opera based on mythology always is a bit of a harder sell nowadays,” Lowe says. “It’s a piece I’ve never done before and never programmed before, so for me it’s quite nice to reconnect with a work that I wouldn’t have looked at otherwise.”

The other three pieces on this Masterworks program come from a later concert in the symphony’s debut season. Robert Schumann’s piano concerto — his only work in that format — will be performed by Spokane’s own Archie Chen. The guest soloist sees uncanny parallels between his life and that of the 19th-century Romantic composer, who suffered for the last part of his life from what is now assumed to be bipolar disorder.

“Schumann was married to a pianist, and it’s the same thing for me with my wife, Rhona. We work together as a team, and she was with me during my illness with COVID when I was in the ICU for 10 days back in August and almost died. My wife has been there for me like Clara Schumann was for Robert,” Chen says. Clara is honored in the concerto itself with a note progression that spells out her nickname.

Another work is George Frederick McKay’s Suite on Fiddler’s Themes. McKay was raised in Spokane in the

early part of the 20th century and went on to enjoy a distinguished career in music, although he, like Gluck, found himself at times on the wrong side of fashion.

“There”s an entire treasure trove of music by McKay, and this orchestra performed a lot of it beginning with Whelan,” Lowe says. “He’s one of those unfortunate composers who spanned high modernism but never went down that route. He didn’t really embrace the post-tonal.

He wrote wonderful, fantastic music, and rediscovering that with [McKay’s] son Fred has been a real joy.”

The finale of this retrospective program is Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8, a relatively brief work for its kind that still manages to encompass dramatic shifts in moods and musical motifs.

“The very opening starts with this rather melancholy tune in the cellos and horns, and then there’s this birdsong in the flutes and suddenly it turns happy. It’s a symphony that conceals its art incredibly well. It sounds almost like a parade of very nice tunes and beautiful moments, but it’s structured really tight.” n Spokane Symphony Masterworks 6: The Genesis of the SSO • Sat, March 5 at 8 pm; Sun, March 6 at 3 pm • $19-$62 • Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox • 1001 W. Sprague Ave. • spokanesymphony.org • 624-1200

MARCH 3, 2022 INLANDER 21

CULTURE | DIGEST

THE BUZZ BIN

Bel-Air: Turns out taking the jokes out of the Fresh Prince was a bad idea.

DOES SOMETHING STINK?

INSANELY GOOD “How can a show based on a video game (League of Legends) be this good?” is a question I and other equally mind-blown watchers of the Netflix animated show ARCANE keep coming back to. Audiences don’t have to know a thing about League of Legends, the team-based battle game Arcane is spun off from. The show was unmistakably made with great care to every detail; Arcane boasts gorgeous, painterly style animations, masterful storytelling and voice acting, and a cast of believable, real characters. Their trials and triumphs in a world strictly divided by wealth and poverty grab you by the collar and keep your attention until the last second of its nine-episode first season. It’s got a killer soundtrack to boot, and season two is, thankfully, already in the works. (CHEY SCOTT)

The six worst new series of 2022

S

BY BILL FROST

o far, 2022 has cranked out some decent new TV: Inventing Anna, Severance, Pam & Tommy, Peacemaker, Single Drunk Female, The Afterparty, even The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window, whatever the hell that was. Another year locked in the house is shaping up nicely.

They can’t all be gems, however. Here are six of the worst new TV series that have premiered in 2022 — avoid them at all costs (if they haven’t already been canceled).

ADULTS ADOPTING ADULTS (A&E)

It’s all right there in the title: Adults Adopting Adults, though The Real Sex Prisoners of Ohio would have been more accurate. AAA was canceled after three episodes in February because a 59-year-old adoptive “dad” was oozing severe creeper vibes toward his new 20-year-old “daughter” (who was also pregnant, BTW). A&E says Adults Adopting Adults was canceled due to low ratings but didn’t confirm if the unaired seven episodes would be sold to PornHub’s Daddy Issues channel.

HOW I MET YOUR FATHER (HULU)

How I Met Your Mother (CBS, 2005–14) is one of the ultimate “Not as Good as You Remember” sitcoms, a flaccid Friends clone that had eight years to come up with a series finale but blew it worse than The Sopranos, Lost, and Russia’s Ukraine invasion combined. This year’s How I Met Your Father, starring Hilary Duff, is at least more racially diverse (you know, like New York), but may as well have been called Lizzy McGuire Gets Laid. Naturally, Hulu is making Season 2.

GOOD SAM (CBS, PARAMOUNT+)

A family drama built on the minutiae of hospital hierarchy? No wonder CBS hasn’t launched a successful midseason series since Airwolf. Good Sam is Dr. Samantha Griffith (Sophia Bush), a heart surgeon who’s elevated to hospital chief when her boss/father

22 INLANDER MARCH 3, 2022

(Jason Isaacs) falls into a coma because that’s how it works. Then dickish Dr. Dad wakes up and now has to answer to his daughter — oh, what a pickle! There’s still time to reboot this as a laugh-tracked sitcom, CBS.

BEL-AIR (PEACOCK)

All the money NBC wasted on Super Bowl promos for Bel-Air would have been better spent on cash drops over random American cities with “Please watch this shit!” notes paperclipped to the bills. Since you haven’t been paid to watch it, Bel-Air is a “dramatic reimagining” of ’90s comedy The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, wherein Philly kid Will moves in with his rich relatives in Los Angeles. This serious take seriously sucks, and not just because Carlton is now a Xanax junkie.

ASTRID & LILLY SAVE THE WORLD (SYFY)

Teen outcasts Astrid (Jana Morrison) and Lilly (Samantha Aucoin) accidentally open a door to a demon portal, and now it’s up to them to protect their town (and, as per the title, the world) from the unleashed monsters. Some critics have called Astrid & Lilly Save the World a worthy successor to Buffy the Vampire Slayer; this critic says 2016 British horror-comedy Crazyhead did it better, smarter and funnier. Watch the one and only season of that on Netflix, instead.

FAIRVIEW (COMEDY CENTRAL)

For almost every new season of South Park, Comedy Central attempts to produce a new animated series to pair it with — anyone remember Brickleberry? Legends of Chamberlain Heights? Jeff & Some Aliens? Garbage. The new Fairview at least tries to be topical on current news and cultural shifts, so that’s … also garbage. It comes from the same smugsters who make Tooning Out the News, a Showtime series so insufferable it makes Pod Save America seem subtle. n

RAGING WITH THE MACHINE Florence Welch harnesses more power in the few inches of her vocal chords than us mere mortals possess in our entire beings. She wields this might to full effect on the new FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE single “King.” A grand anthem that blends a defiant refusal to be defined merely by her womanly definitions and mythic metaphors, the song instantly feels like it’ll be transcendent in an arena or festival setting. Director Autumn de Wilde (who made 2020’s criminally underrated Emma.) helms the music video that matches the song’s stunning nature, where a witchy and cloaked Welch floats around feral dancers, levitates orchestras, and snaps necks. It’s literal king shit. (SETH SOMMERFELD) THIS WEEK’S PLAYLIST Noteworthy new music arriving in stores and online March 4: BAND OF HORSES, Things Are Great. We are entering a golden age of sarcastic album titles. Band of Horses contributes to that milieu while bringing some softly swaying indie rock on the band’s first LP in five years.

DOLLY PARTON, Run, Rose, Run. The icon’s 48th album serves as an audio companion to her new co-authored novel of the same name, which follows an up-and-coming singer-songwriter trying to make it in Nashville. Write what you know, they say.

THE WEATHER STATION, How Is It That I Should Look at the Stars.

Fresh on the heels of making one of 2021’s best albums (Ignorance), the Weather Station returns with more lush, thoughtful and ultra-composed modern folk tunes. (SETH SOMMERFELD)

INLANDER RESTAURANT WEEK

MEET YOUR CHEF:

Andrew Blakely Vieux Carré NOLA Kitchen’s new executive chef reflects on cooking, his relationships with fellow local chefs and more

BY CARRIE SCOZZARO

T

he rigor and camaraderie of the kitchen appeals to Andrew Blakely, who worked his way up from the dish pit in a series of kitchen jobs beginning in Virginia, where he was raised. Blakely had a hankering to come west, however, and ended up in Salt Lake City considering college for biology. But he felt more at home in the kitchen, where he proved himDON’T MISS IT! self worthy of increasInlander Restaurant Week 2022 ing responsibility. In continues through Saturday, 2015 he and a friend March 5. Find all the participatrelocated Spokane ing restaurants and their threeto pursue becoming course menus for $22, $33 or $44 chefs, where both at InlanderRestaurantWeek.com. have thrived.

INLANDER: How do you challenge yourself to stay creative in the kitchen?

BLAKELY: For me it comes from just fully immersing myself in the kitchen. I’m very hands-on with everything I do, right down to making sure the dish pit is clear.

I’ll look at pans and think about what can fit in there.

Having over-the-top dishes that have 10 components in them isn’t appealing to me, but if I can take something and just make it right, do it justice, that’s what is most important to me.

What kinds of places do you look for when you dine out – what excites you?

I love simple food. The place that I frequent the most out of any restaurant in Spokane is Yards [Bruncheon]. I love how the menu is just unapologetic. If I wanted good eggs benedict and biscuits and gravy, I’m all over it.

Who are your culinary heroes or biggest influences, and why?

I don’t want to be cliché and while these people are still important to me – Anthony Bourdain, Sean Brock, people like that – I think the most important people in my life and people I look up to are people I worked with personally.

Darrin Gleason, the head chef [and co-owner] at Republic Pi – I love that man. He’s very patient. He was the first person [in Spokane] who gave me an opportunity to become a chef.

Taylor Rainwater [Blakely’s friend and head chef at Casper Fry] is another one. He’s one of the only people I can banter with about food.

Jeana Pecha [Vieux Carré’s former executive chef, who’s departing for an opportunity to create her own venue in California]. Working with her and just being able to crank out menus and just stretch what we’re able to do.

Chef Andrew Blakely is featuring the above barbeque-and-blue fried oysters for Vieux Carré’s Inlander Restaurant Week menu. ALYSSA HUGHES PHOTOS What are your thoughts on Inlander Restaurant Week, and what are you most looking forward to during this year’s event?

I really enjoy getting together and the camaraderie. I think the biggest thing for me is being able to take away that I did good, that we did so much business, and we prepped enough, and we were able to take care of this. It feels good at the end of the night.

What is the most important thing you’ve learned since the start of the pandemic in relation to the hospitality industry?

I feel like restaurants are getting busier and busier and more understaffed. And it’s changed the culture of cooking. The amount that we’re able to get done now, the way we push ourselves is so much more severe than what I remember doing a few years ago. We’re putting in long hours and figuring out a way to multitask in a way I never saw myself doing.

Looking into the future, how do you think the industry will permanently shift because of the pandemic?

It’s been tough, but it shapes a new kind of cook, I think — one that’s more malleable and someone [who] is more receptive to taking on a bigger load. And I think that’s really cool. n

MARCH 3, 2022 INLANDER 23

FOOD | OPENING

A New Leaf Fresh and Foraged offers veggie-forward options and highlights its owner’s journey toward making healthy life choices

BY CARRIE SCOZZARO

F

resh and Foraged is a new eatery in north Spokane featuring vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free menu items that might make you realize you’re not missing the meat (although animal proteins are available as an add-on).

It’s also local entrepreneur Sarah Birnel’s latest business venture and a compelling story of how one woman turned over a new leaf, first with a chain of controversial coffee stands and more recently with Fresh and Foraged.

Birnel opened Fresh and Foraged with business partner Cara Deno in September 2021. Birnel brings the business acumen, while Deno runs the day-to-day operations, including creating some of the recipes. “[Cara] makes this everything it is,” Birnel says.

The cafe is a cozy spot with white walls, a long wooden counter, and a few tables for dine-in that were styled by local firm Haven + Pine.

Deno and Birnel modeled their business after Crisp Salads in Portland, working with that local chain’s owner, Emma Dye, to bring parts of the restaurant concept to Spokane.

Fresh and Foraged serves many of Crisp Salads’ original menu items, such as the San Pancho salad ($14/$16) with spinach, romaine, roasted corn, black beans, avocado, pico de gallo, pumpkin seeds, tortilla strips and chipotle cream dressing. Fresh and Foraged also serves Crisp Salads’ yam-based Thai curry soup ($11) and Sunshine Bowl ($12), featuring the same soup over shredded kale with warm rice and pumpkin seeds.

In addition to adding its own menu items, however, Fresh and Foraged tweaked some of Crisp Salads’ recipes. The restaurant renamed Crisp Salads’ NoPo salad to NoSpo (North Spokane versus North Portland) and made some ingredient substitutions, like almonds (instead of Oregon hazelnuts) and huckleberry dressing (instead of one with Oregon marionberry). Otherwise, the salad includes spinach, field greens, wild smoked salmon, cranberries and feta cheese.

Deno also added baked potatoes, gluten-free toast,

24 INLANDER MARCH 3, 2022

Salad is a focus at north Spokane’s new Fresh and Foraged.

ERICK DOXEY PHOTO

acai and oatmeal bowls to Fresh and Foraged’s menu. Try the gluten-free and vegetarian chili baked potato ($12) with chickpea chili, butter and green onion, or sub in vegan butter.

The Greek toast ($7.95) is one of four toast options.

It has butter, avocado, tomato, red onion, feta cheese and creamy balsamic dressing. A sweeter toast option ($7.95) includes butter, peanut butter, banana, chocolate chips and chocolate sauce.

Acai bowls are some of the most popular items on the menu, Deno says. The Berry Bliss ($13.95) features acai sorbet topped with bananas, strawberries, coconut flakes, chia seeds and honey drizzle.

D

eno laughs when asked if she has much cooking experience.

“I didn’t start cooking until my late 30s,” says Deno, whose heart-health issues have meant being more conscientious about what she eats.

Birnel previously employed Deno as general manager for another of Birnel’s business empires: coffee stands.

At age 24, Birnel opened her first coffee stand,

shortly after being released from her second term in prison in 2006 after several felony convictions relating to theft and drug possession.

Realizing that getting hired by someone else was going to be more difficult than creating her own job, and being inspired by her father’s business background, Birnel set about building a successful chain of drive-through coffee shops.

In 2013, Birnel recognized the sweeping trend of socalled “bikini baristas,” or scantily clad female employees at drive-thru coffee stands. Resulting controversy over the workers’ lack of clothing was a mixed blessing, however, bringing more business and free publicity from local and national media outlets. Bikini barista stands also drew the ire of local community members, with some calling for city ordinances on where such businesses could be located.

Although today there are few remaining “bikini barista” stands in the Spokane area, Birnel still operates a handful of locations featuring servers in outfits ranging from pasties and thong underwear to lacy lingerie. Suggestive photos of the employees dominate the Facebook pages of these coffee stands, which Birnel is in the process of rebranding from Devil’s Brew to Black Sheep Coffee Company.

“I’ve always been a black sheep,” says Birnel, who also owns five other coffee stands under the name Blissful Blends. Baristas there wear unremarkable outfits like jeans and T-shirts, and also sell Fresh and Foraged salads to-go.

As a recovering drug addict who began using methamphetamine in her early teens, triggered in part by a family tragedy that sent one parent to prison and the other to the morgue, Birnel is matter-of-fact about her eyebrow-raising business model, but also her past mistakes.

“I never wanted anyone to find out [about my past] on their own,” Birnel says.

Birnel even detailed her journey with the July 2021 publication of Something Better Brewing: What I Learned from Prison, Parenthood and Pouring Coffee and has done book readings in small settings.

“Speaking publicly was uncomfortable,” says Birnel, also noting that writing the book and being candid about her life is the only way to move forward.

With Fresh and Foraged up-and-running and the coffee stand business percolating nicely, Birnel is looking for ways to share her story with a wider audience, including in local prison populations.

“If I can make it, anyone can,” she says. n Fresh and Foraged • 410 E. Holland Ave. • Open Mon-Fri 10 am-6 pm; Sat-Sun 12-6 pm • freshandforagedpnw.com • 509-279-2831

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MARCH 3, 2022 INLANDER 25

D

oes the world need another Batman movie? Plenty of fans of the iconic superhero would say yes, and the filmmakers behind the new feature film The Batman certainly do their best to convince audiences that the character deserves another big-screen showcase.

At three hours long, The Batman is epic, serious and dark, signifying its own importance with every moody shot and portentous line delivery. Even if it never feels like an essential addition to Batman lore or the overcrowded superhero canon, it’s still a mostly engrossing mystery with some strong performances.

Set in its own standalone world away from other recent DC Comics films (including those featuring different versions of Batman), The Batman stars Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne, the wealthy orphan who becomes the vigilante protector of Gotham City. Director and cowriter Matt Reeves wisely does away with retelling the origin story that nearly every viewer is likely familiar with, although he also plays with audiences’ assumptions about Batman’s background. Bruce’s war against crime is still motivated by his parents’ murder, but part of The Batman’s mystery involves calling the purity of that motivation into question.

Either way, as The Batman begins, Bruce is already established as Gotham’s local crime fighter, complete with the bright Bat-signal calling him to action, courtesy of police Lt. Jim Gordon (Jeffrey Wright). That signal calls Batman to the site of the murder of Gotham City’s mayor, at the height of his re-election campaign. There are cryptic messages and codes found at the scene, some addressed to Batman himself, courtesy of a masked killer calling himself the Riddler (Paul Dano).

Reeves focuses on the detective side of Batman, setting up the movie as a murder mystery, as the Riddler takes out prominent figures in Gotham, exposing each of his victims as corrupt and criminal. Dano stays mostly offscreen until the third act, and his Riddler appears mainly via video

REVIEW

BATMAN

BEGINS

AGAIN The Caped Crusader returns in the watchable but redundant The Batman

BY JOSH BELL

messages, clad in a green full-face mask. With his elaborate murder tableaux, he more closely resembles horror villain Jigsaw than past versions of the Riddler played by the likes of Frank Gorshin and Jim Carrey, and The Batman comes a bit too close to the absurdity of the Saw movies, especially the most recent police corruption-focused installment.

Pattinson makes Bruce into a figure of grim determination, both as Batman and in his civilian life. There are no glimpses of Bruce’s typical rich playboy persona; when he makes a rare public appearance, he looks deeply uncomfortable, and people remark on his reclusiveness.

The only levity comes from Zoe Kravitz’s Selina Kyle, a nightclub waitress and fellow vigilante who has her own reasons for investigating the Riddler’s crimes. As with previous incarnations of Catwoman, she shares a sexually charged dynamic with Batman, alternately aiding him and thwarting him, and Kravitz brings a playfulness to the character in line with previous Catwomen from Eartha Kitt to Michelle Pfeiffer to Anne Hathaway.

Even Selina gets burdened with an extra tragic backstory, though, and Reeves and co-writer Peter Craig tie everyone’s fates back to Gotham City crime boss Carmine Falcone (John TurInstead of colorful, THE BATMAN turro). outlandish costumed villains, Rated PG-13 the true enemy in The Batman Directed by Matt Reeves is corruption itself, which Starring Robert Pattinson, fits with the noir tone that Jeffrey Wright, Zoe Kravitz Reeves is aiming for. That allows The Batman to be a compelling hard-boiled mystery with a detective who just happens to wear a cape and cowl, although it also results in a movie that can be visually and narratively murky.

Overburdened with extraneous characters whose main function is to set up future movies and TV series, The Batman is a decent detective thriller that’s still stuck being a modern superhero movie. n

Robert Battinson and Zoe Catvitz

26 INLANDER MARCH 3, 2022

SCREEN | REVIEW

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Driving Mister Yusuke

Existential Road Trip Acclaimed Japanese drama Drive My Car takes viewers on a slow but rewarding journey

BY JOSH BELL

T

he long, meandering journey of Ryusuke listening to a recording of Uncle Vanya made by Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car to four Oscar his late wife, with spaces for him to fill in the nominations mirrors the long, meandertitle character’s lines. But they gradually form a ing journey that the Japanese filmmaker takes connection, united by shared trauma and a quiet viewers on over the course of three hours. It appreciation for artistic beauty. starts in a quiet, unassuming place, makes some Their bond is strengthened during a subdued unexpected but delightful stops along the way, but deeply affecting dinner scene in the middle and ends on a surprisingly hopeful note for the of the movie, when Yusuke and Misaki are future. The movie takes its time building invited to the home of a its narrative and defining its characters, DRIVE MY CAR Korean couple who are and it requires patience to appreciate its both involved in the Uncle Not rated many virtues.

Vanya production. Through Directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi It takes 40 minutes just to get to the simple, understated exchangStarring Hidetoshi Nishijima, opening credits of Drive My Car, which es, Hamaguchi provides inToko Miura, Masaki Okada function like a bit of punctuation tying off sights into Yusuke’s working Playing at Magic Lantern, the extended prologue. In that opening methods, delivers a rebuke streaming on HBO Max segment, theater director Yusuke Kafuku from one of the play’s stars, (Hidetoshi Nishijima) discovers that his probes Japanese-Korean TV writer wife Oto (Reika Kirishima) has been cultural relations, and reveals Yusuke’s true apcheating on him, and while he’s away from home preciation for his taciturn driver. It’s the kind of avoiding a confrontation, she suffers a cerebral scene that slowly sneaks up on you, revealing its hemorrhage and dies. Two years later, he still cumulative power only at the end, with a sudden hasn’t quite processed his grief, but he’s attemptrush of emotion. ing to move on professionally, directing a producDrive My Car, which is freely adapted from tion of the play he was working on when his wife elements of several Haruki Murakami short died, Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya. stories, features multiple scenes like that, seemYusuke’s version of Uncle Vanya is a unique ingly mundane events that provide much-needed staging that stars actors of various nationalities all release for the characters. The logistics of putting performing in their native languages, and much together the multilingual play are fascinating, and of Drive My Car focuses on the rehearsal process Hamaguchi alternates those procedural details for this complicated endeavor. Yusuke is invited with personal moments between characters, as to a cultural center in Hiroshima to put on his Yusuke alternately confronts and consoles Koji, play, where he discovers that one of the actors in his complex, halting efforts to understand and auditioning is Koji Takatsuki (Masaki Okada), accept his late wife’s proclivities. one of Oto’s secret lovers. Yusuke casts Koji in There’s a lot of talk in Drive My Car, which the title role, despite expectations that he would values language as much as Chekhov did, play the role himself. but Hamaguchi also creates some hauntingly For liability reasons, the cultural center insists beautiful images, and Yusuke’s distinctive car that Kafuku employ the services of a driver while itself becomes a sort of supporting character and he’s working on the play, so he relinquishes concentral symbol. Like the movie, it’s a lovely piece trol of his vintage red Saab 900 Turbo to Misaki of craftsmanship that demands care and dedicaWatari (Toko Miura). At first, he largely ignores tion, and rewards those who give it their full the young woman, spending their long drives attention. n

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here may be no singular pop culture archetype as universally known as the Disney Princess. The magical entertainment template has been in place for 85 years now, dating back to Snow White gracing the big screen back in 1937.

It’s been an unremovable part of the cultural fabric for generations upon generations — from timeless hand-drawn animation to modern CGI wonders. And whether looked at through the lens of childhood wonder or adult reexaminations of some of the thornier elements of the trope, one aspect of Disney Princess-dom remains unimpeachable: the music.

That musical spirit comes to life in Disney Princess: The Concert, a touring production where a cast of Broadway veterans sing tunes in front of imagery from the beloved animated features.

Before the tour stops at First Interstate Center for the Arts on Saturday, March 5, we figured it’d be the perfect time to rank the best songs from the 14 official Disney Princesses (Brave’s Merida being both the lone Pixar and non-singing exception).

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“REFLECTION” — MULAN

A strong argument can be made that Mulan is the best Disney Princess movie, but it doesn’t give it’s titular heroine much to do song-wise. “Reflection” is a relatively standard and forgettable searching-for-identity song, tied around the overdone “I don’t know who I am when looking into the mirror” theme.

But while we’re here, Mulan offers a great chance to discuss two key elements of Disney Princesses. First off, despite what our foggy collective memories might think, many of the Princess movies don’t actually give the best songs to the heroines. While there may be starker cases to come on the list, the firecrackerpropulsive Captain Li Shang-led training montage perfection of “I’ll Make a Man Outta You” blows the rest of Mulan’s songs outta the water.

Secondly, Disney’s Princess designations are very strange and somewhat arbitrary! Mulan is an “Official Disney Princess” (a corporately dictated designation thought up by Disney executive Andy Mooney in 2000) despite not being royalty in any way. She’s not from a royal family and doesn’t marry a prince.

She’s not even a daughter of a chieftain, a bending of the royalty designation in Moana and Pocahontas (which could grant official designation for Raya someday). Peter Pan’s Tinkerbell and The Hunchback of Notre Dame’s Esmerelda were once Official Princesses, but have since been booted from the ranks. Does The Lion King’s Nala not count because she’s a kitty? That’s specist! Will Encanto’s Mirabel follow in Mulan’s nonroyal footsteps because that movie’s music is chart-topping?

Also, despite their wild popularity and royal blood, Disney somehow hasn’t made Frozen’s Anna and Elsa official Princesses (though they are listed on the offical Princess website). It’s weird that there are such arbitrary rules for made-up stuff!

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“ALMOST THERE” — TIANA (THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG)

Coming out almost a decade and a half after Disney’s mid-’90s animation renaissance period and well into the Pixar-driven CGI animation era, the hand-drawn The Princess and the Frog gets lost in the shuffle and is undoubtedly the least-seen Disney Princess movie. That said, its Bayou setting lends it a unique musical identity rooted in New Orleans jazz. This Oscarnominated Randy Newman tune doesn’t rank among the songwriter’s best, but it’s a lighthearted dreamer ode that goes down smooth thanks to Anika Nori Rose giving the vocals her all.

28 INLANDER MARCH 3, 2022

DISNEY

Princess Power Rankings With Disney Princess: The Concert headed to town, which animated heroine has the best tune?

BY SETH SOMMERFELD

11

“BELLE” — BELLE (BEAUTY AND THE BEAST)

Beauty and the Beast gives its stone-cold classic songs to… (checks notes)… a teapot and a candlestick. The namesake beauty’s musical high point comes via the film’s scene-setting opening operetta, which weaves together Belle’s bookish narrative and the bemused perspectives of her French village neighbors for a playful little romp that establishes her character.

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“COLORS OF THE WIND” — POCAHONTAS

It turns out turning a historical figure into a Disney Princess can be problematic and rife with historical inaccuracies. Who could’ve possibly guessed? Most people remember Pocahontas for “Colors of the Wind,” and while it’s a moving tribute to the communal beauty of untouched nature, it asks its soaring chorus to do the majority of the heavy lifting.

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“I SEE THE LIGHT” — RAPUNZEL (TANGLED)

Boosted greatly in the film by a fantastic visual sequence of floating lanterns over water, the tune morphs from Rapunzel finally realizing her post-tower dreams to a romantic duet with Flynn pretty effortlessly. It’s not world-changing, but it’s incredibly solid folk pop.

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“THE NEXT RIGHT THING” — ANNA (FROZEN II)

By far the darkest song in the princess oeuvre, “The Next Right Thing” catches Anna at her lowest point, as she wrestles with moving past hopelessness, depression and grief in the wake of a co-dependent loss. It’s frankly shocking (and refreshing) for a kiddie movie to go this deep into sadness.

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“WHISTLE WHILE YOU WORK” — SNOW WHITE

Tricking kids into thinking cleaning up can be fun since 1937.

“A DREAM IS A WISH YOUR HEART MAKES” — CINDERELLA

Outside of “When You Wish Upon a Star,” this barelyover-a-minute ditty is the archetypal Disney dreamer song, and Illene Woods’ original soft vocal warmth is enough to melt even the coldest of hearts.

“PART OF YOUR WORLD” — ARIEL (THE LITTLE MERMAID)

It turns out that when you literally take away the voice of your princess, she doesn’t get many chances to sing.

Thankfully, Ariel knocks her lone song out of the park. The signature Disney Princess “I Want” song, the delicate yearning of Jodi Benson’s vocal performance and its spoken asides build toward an emotional crescendo. It’s no wonder that the fish-stuckin-water number has become an anthem for marginalized communities (LGBTQ+, disabled, etc.).

4

“HOW FAR I’LL GO” — MOANA

A mere 27 years after The Little Mermaid, Lin-Manuel Miranda delivered the inverse “Part of Your World” (girl on land desperately wants to get to the water). The propulsive lyrical rhythm Miranda provides (and the Broadway-esque way its theme is repeated in the movie) sets the song apart from its princess peers, and Auli’i Cravalho delivers a vocal performance that glistens like sun rays on the ocean’s undulations.

3

“LET IT GO” — ELSA (FROZEN)

Want to know why this song became so wildly popular when it was released in 2013? Because it’s a musical childfriendly version of throwing up the double birds. Kids don’t often get songs for them where the WEEKEND message is screw what everybody C O U N T D OW N else thinks, I’m gonna be me. “Let Get the scoop on this It Go” is Rage Against the weekend’s events with Machine for preteens. Idina our newsletter. Sign up at Menzel’s powerhouse pipes Inlander.com/newsletter. fully deliver, as the song slowly builds the indignation until it reaches a full cathartic release. (And any song that seamlessly works “frozen fractals” into its lyrics gets major bonus points.)

2

“ONCE UPON A DREAM” — AURORA (SLEEPING BEAUTY)

No song captures the essence of classic Disney dreaminess quite like “Once Upon a Dream.” An adaptation of “The Garland Waltz” melody from Tchaikovsky’s landmark The Sleeping Beauty ballet, the waltz just feels like distilled romantic fantasy. It’s elegant simplicity remains utterly timeless.

1

“A WHOLE NEW WORLD” — JASMINE (ALADDIN)

Jasmine doesn’t even get her own song in Aladdin (no, I’m not counting the forced one — “Speechless” — in the recent live-action version), but to make up for it, she gets Disney’s most breathtaking duet. Considering how much of the Disney Princess lore is tied up in dreamy romance, nothing can top being swept away on a perspective-altering magic carpet ride. Lea Salonga’s choral chemistry with Brad Kane is off the charts, resulting in the song remaining a thrilling chase, a wondrous place no matter how many times you revisit it. n

Disney musical royalty

Disney Princess: The Concert • Sat, March 5 at 7:30 pm • $40$246 • First Interstate Center for the Arts • 334 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. • firstinterstatecenter.org • 509-279-7000

UPCOMING SHOWS LIVE FROM SOMEWHERE: GHOST HEART Thu, March 3 at 6:30 pm Magic Lantern Theatre $15 CORB LUND, LAUREN MORROW Thu, March 3 at 8 pm Lucky You Lounge $30 CHEAT CODES, AUTOGRAF, DANNY QUEST, DALLIN DANCE Thu, March 3 at 8 pm Knitting Factory $20-$28 THE PINK SOCKS, COLLEGE RADIO, KALEB J, THE EMERGENCY EXIT, CITY OF EMBER Fri, March 4 at 7 pm The Big Dipper $10 BROTHER ALI, MALLY, DJ LAST WORD Sat, March 5 at 8 pm Lucky You Lounge $20-$79 MAXO KREAM, PESO PESO, LUL BOB Sat, March 5 at 8:30 pm Knitting Factory $23-$25 SPOKANE SYMPHONY: THE GENESIS OF THE SSO Sat, March 5 at 8 pm & Sun, March 6 at 3 pm Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox $19-$62 STRAIGHT NO CHASER Mon, March 7 at 7:30 pm Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox $35-$65 YUNGBLUD Wed, Mar 9 at 8 pm Knitting Factory $30 JOHN CRAIGIE, LITTLE WOLF Thu & Fri, March 10 & 11 at 8 pm Lucky You Lounge $19 Be sure to check with venues about vaccination/COVID test requirements.

MARCH 3, 2022 INLANDER 29

Be sure to check with event organizers about vaccination/COVID test requirements.

WORDS ANIMAL CONNECTION

The human-animal connection is profound and often mysterious. Filipe DeAndrade believes his personal connection to animals saved his life, so he now aims to help save them through his professional work. The wildlife filmmaker is the host of National Geographic’s Untamed series, for which he travels around the U.S. to document the country’s most diverse and iconic species. DeAndrade’s life as a child, however, wasn’t so exciting. Growing up impoverished in a climate of addiction and abuse, he felt voiceless, just like the animals he now films and photographs. For the next installment of Nat Geo’s touring speaker series, DeAndrade shares how he discovered this passion, how it transformed his life and has brought him face-to-face with jaguars, snakes, whales and even incredibly rare moths.

— CHEY SCOTT National Geographic Live: Untamed • Wed, March 9 at 7 pm • $25-$31 • All ages • Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox • 1001 W. Sprague Ave. • foxtheaterspokane.org • 509-6241200

30 INLANDER MARCH 3, 2022

MUSIC ’PELLA FELLAS

MUSIC SONDHEIM SINGERS

Straight No Chaser • Mon, March 7 at 7:30 pm • $35-$65 • Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox • 1001 W. Sprague Ave. • foxtheaterspokane.org • 509-624-1200

Spokane Sings Sondheim • Thu, March 10 at 7 pm • $10 • Adjust • 705 N. Monroe St. • spokaneensembletheatre.com • 206-724-2788

Collegiate a capella groups are prevalent throughout campuses across the country, but usually their choral exploits end once everyone earns their diplomas. That wasn’t the case for Indiana University’s own Straight No Chaser, who parlayed early YouTube fame into becoming one of the biggest a capella acts on the planet. With over 2 million albums sold (and even a new 2022 cocktails/cookbook, Straight No Chaser Soundbites), the nine-piece vocal ensemble revels in arranging rich and intriguing versions of famed songs to entertain the masses. Pretty good for a kinda nerdy undergrad hobby.

— SETH SOMMERFELD

Last year the theater community lost Stephen Sondheim, an absolute legend in the world of musical theater. (“Legend” doesn’t even begin to cover the reach of his impact.) In celebration of the life and work of the prolific playwright, Spokane Ensemble Theatre is partnering with Adjust (a Birds in the Coast company) to bring the infamous vibes of 54 Below from the Big Apple to Spokane for a one-night-only performance. Ten local professionals perform selections from Sondheim’s catalog in a cabaret-style show that showcases local talent while paying tribute to the late composer.

Tips for the performers via PayPal or Venmo are greatly appreciated.

— MADISON PEARSON

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VISUAL ARTS FIRST FRIDAY

Mothers, aunts, cousins, daughters, sisters — Indigenous women gone missing or known to have been murdered are the subject of a new exhibition at Gonzaga University Urban Arts Center. MMIW Art Show: No More Stolen Sisters draws attention to this heartbreaking and ongoing tragedy. It opens March 4 at 4 pm, and also features a video screening and live speakers. Also featured for March’s First Friday is Ezekiel Fee, who started painting at 14.

At 18, his artwork was selected for Coeur d’Alene’s annual Art on the Green poster. Although not yet 21, Fee is having a solo show of his watercolor paintings and charcoal drawings at Kolva-Sullivan Gallery, called Light into the Dark. This young artist is definitely ascending.

— CARRIE SCOZZARO First Friday • Fri, March 4 from 5-8 pm • Locations throughout Spokane vary • Details at firstfridayspokane.org

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READERS POLL

MUSIC ROOTS RADICAL

Gina Chavez is a 12-time winner at the Austin Music Awards, and if you know just what a crazed music town the Texas capital is, you know that’s big stuff. She’s an Austin native whose music bounces through genres, from classic pop and American roots music to cumbia, bossa nova and the Latin folk she discovered as a student in Argentina for a spell early in her career. She’s released a series of ever-better albums, packed with powerful social commentary and deeply personal stories. She’s toured the globe as a cultural ambassador for the U.S. State Department and won the grand prize in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest. One look at her NPR Tiny Desk concert will make you a fan, and her latest album, 2020’s La Que Manda, is a Spanish-language wonder that fully embraces its title, translating to “the woman in charge.”

— DAN NAILEN Gina Chavez • Fri, March 4 at 7:30 pm • $16.50-$36 • Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center, Gonzaga • 211 E. Desmet Ave. • gonzaga.edu/mwpac • 509-313-4776

RESULTS ISSUE

ON STANDS MARCH 24TH To advertise in the Best Of issue, contact: advertising@inlander.com or 509.325.0634 ext. 215 MARCH 3, 2022 INLANDER 31

be it. I’m not afraid anymore, and I have nothing to lose. If you know me... come say hi!

CHEERS

YOU SAW ME COMING OUT Hi! I was a trainwreck of a comedian, a mediocre improviser with jokes about hooking up with dragons and being a polite schoolgirl. I podcasted, I tried to be undeniable and above all I loved the Spokane comedy scene. But I couldn’t get anything to work, no matter what. When my mother passed, madness claimed me. I was trying like hell to burn all bridges and upset the right people enough to get hate crimed by local fascists. None of it worked. When I started playing nonbinary or cross-gender characters, I was facing the idea that I didn’t really identify with masculinity.

When I started playing the one I’m known for as “agender,” I didn’t realize I was testing the people around me for amenability to that sort of thing, and I was scared of all the people failing that test. So I went back to the weird edgelord routine until my mother passed and my family disowned me, and I just let insanity claim me. I didn’t see any road back, nor a place I wanted to return to, and I genuinely thought my obit would include the words “senseless tragedy.” But I’m here now, and I can’t just keep sitting in the shadows waiting for old friends to notice me, so here I am with a message: I, the voice of Doctor Donut, the absent technical improviser, the embodiment of mania themselves... they are a trans she/her, and now I no longer have to lie about it and whatever that does to my reputation, so

SOUND OFF

VACCINATED AND VINDICATED Now that it looks like the COVID pandemic is receding and we can return to a semblance of normal life, it’s time to thank the people who made this happen— the ones who got vaccinated, refusing to be human petri dishes for the virus and slowing its spread. The Omicron variant loved the unvaccinated because they were perfect unprotected hosts, and almost all Omicron hospitalizations and deaths were unvaxed holdouts, some of whom railed against vaccines with their—literally—last breaths.

If we are really seeing the end of the pandemic it’s because there were enough shots in enough arms to stave off and, hopefully, starve the virus into submission.

We should all thank the people who got vaxed to protect not just themselves but their communities as a whole. They have done us ALL a great service.

ZELENSKY 2024 President Zelensky of Ukraine. Why can’t we have young courageous leaders like him instead of our way too old cowards like Trump and Biden?

FIREMEN TO THE RESCUE A big thank-you to the wonderful firemen and ambulance people that came and took care of me when I fell and split my head open. I had a huge laceration, but they very calmly took care of it. They talked to me and tried to get me to think of something else besides my pain. I appreciate your kindness very, very much.

JEERS RE: DEMOCRAT ELITES WANT YOU TO SUFFER Wow, OP. Really... Wow!!! You possess the balls to write something as inflammatory and degrading to discredit our sitting president. Well, friendo, a simple statement: Inflation has nothing to do with Democrats. It is merely an economic absolute regarding supply and demand, no matter the political party

in power, but also fueled by greedy corporate CEOs ensuring they get to keep their three yachts, five houses, and twelve cars apiece. Of course you probably voted on the Trump ticket, so your intelligence exists at a minimum level sufficient to your work-home-football-guns routine, thus I’m not surprised. Trump gave all

“

understates the case when he says that American cheerleaders for Vladimir Putin are “almost treasonous.” He’s speaking of Donald Trump and his sycophants. And they are not treason-adjacent or even treason-questioning/curious. They are traitors. Trump’s disparagement of NATO, bad-mouthing of his own intelligence

...Thank the people who got vaxed to protect not just themselves but their communities...

those corporations tax breaks. So go yell at him through the iron bars he’ll soon enough live behind.

OF THIEVES AND BAD POLICY Thanks to the scouter in the SUV that has claimed Sixth Street as their smash-windows-andsteal-things street. We have all seen you.

We know who you are. And you choose to rob an area where apartment dwellers are just trying to work and start out on a life of their own. Good on you that you can bash out windows and take things that are not yours. What you reap, you sow, and boy do you have it coming. And shame on bad policy! Lock these losers up!!!

Shame on WA voters for voting for leftist politicians that relax theft laws! I hope your car windows are bashed in and your belongings are taken. Maybe then you’ll learn that little to no punishment doesn’t equal no crime.

RESPONSE TO A RESPONSE ON DEMOCRAT ELITES Dear sir, is that a joke? The Trump administration caused everything the Biden admin is going through? A typical blame-everyone-else liberal response. The Democratic elites do not care. And you need to do your fact-checking yourself instead of listening to the CNN criminals. Watch conferences yourself, read bills yourself. You’ll quickly learn that the political world is full of liars that easily persuade people to believe their lies. And you, honey, are deceived.

1. Visit Inlander.com/isawyou by 3 pm Monday. 2. Pick a category (I Saw You, You Saw Me, Cheers or Jeers). 3.

Provide basic info: your name and email (so we know you’re real). 4. To connect via I Saw You, provide a non-identifying email to be included with your submission — like “petals327@yahoo.com,” not “j.smith@comcast.net.”

32 INLANDER MARCH 3, 2022

WW111 is clearly going to be the result of a weak-spined president, that president being Joe Biden. The supply chain issue is a result of Trump’s tax deductions to help middle class people? What drugs are you smoking? Please. Before you respond and embarrass yourself again, do your research. And not regurgitate everything

on CNN. UNAMERICAN PUTIN FANS Jeers to those so-called Americans who seem to think Putin is a great leader and worthy of praise. They seem to forget that not long ago he ordered bounties on our brave American men and women serving our country, not to mention the countless slaughter of innocent men women and children. THAT’S UNAMERICAN! I WANT MY PEANUTS... Miracles never cease. Finally Chris Cargill (WPC) got one right. Let the Brett Bros pay for any Avista stadium renovations. Wonder why you gotta pay $3.50 for 7 ounces of peanuts, or any other of the empty-your-pocketplease prices? It’s cause that’s in the contract that our county commissioners signed with the Brett Bros that says no outside food allowed. Typical sports team owners: Socialize the costs and privatize the profits.

TRAINS ON TIME, NOT REALLY “Mussolini at least made the trains run on time” Technically true, but he didn’t do it by improving anything like the track or the signals. He did it by lengthening the scheduled time until it was longer than the time that the late trains had been making.

In other words, he cheated. Sorry about Mr/Ms Low Self-Esteem.

ONLY WITH NUKES

Mitt

Romney

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agencies, his making military aid to Ukraine conditional upon “digging up dirt on political opponents”…all of this empowered Putin and is making Europe look like 1938 — only with nukes.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK Will large numbers of Boogerloo Boobs, Proud of Stupid Boys, Oaf Creepers, and 3PissAnters volunteer to fight the Russians in Ukraine? Answer: Not in a gazillion years! The Russians would shoot back, and we can’t have that, can we? n

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NOTE: I Saw You/Cheers & Jeers is for adults 18 or older. The Inlander reserves the right to edit or reject any posting at any time at its sole discretion and assumes no responsibility for the content.

EVENTS | CALENDAR

BENEFIT

THE FIG TREE VIRTUAL SPRING BENEFIT The theme of this year’s benefit is “spreading seeds of hope.” Registration required. March 4 from 11:45 am-12:45 pm; March 9 from 7:45-8:45 am. Donations accepted. thefigtree.org GATSBY GALA FUNDRAISER & AUCTION Presented by the Spokane Regional Domestic Violence Coalition and Stop the Silence Spokane. Fri, March 11, from 6-10 pm, is the inaugural evening gala, followed by another evening gala on Sat, March 12, from 6-10 pm, with chef Michael Wiley. On Sun, March 13, from 11 am-3 pm, is a brunch with chef Alex Szambelan from South Perry Lantern.$125. Woman’s Club of Spokane, 1428 W. Ninth. endtheviolencespokane. org (509-505-7056) LEADERSHIP SPOKANE GALA A night full of speakers, fun and celebrating the 40th year of Leadership Spokane. March 11, 6 pm. $100. Northern Quest Resort & Casino, 100 N. Hayford Rd. leadershipspokane.org (509-321-3639) THE BARTENDER’S BALL Cocktails, appetizers and a silent auction. All proceeds go to H.E.L.P. Every Little Paw, a nonprofit dedicated to the health and safety of pets. March 12, 5-9 pm. $50-$55. Coeur d’Alene Resort Plaza Shops, 210 Sherman Ave. helpeverylittlepaw.org

COMEDY

ALMOST BEST IN SHOW Hobby horses are the vehicle for the BDT players to explore the lengths competitors go through

to win. The audience will decide the competition. Rated for general audiences.

Fridays at 7:30 through March 25. $8.

Blue Door Theatre, 815 W. Garland Ave. bluedoortheatre.com (509-747-7045) CHRIS TITUS Christopher Titus is back on the road, with his 10th and all-new special, “Zero Side Effects.” March 4-5, 7:30 & 10:30 pm, March 6, 7:30 pm. $25-$40.

Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com COMEDY VS. CANCER A night of standup comedy supporting the American Cancer Society. Doors open at 6:30 pm.

March 4, 7:30-9 pm. $15. Black Diamond, 9614 E. Sprague Ave. fb.me/e/18L7CDblO SAFARI A “Whose Line”-esque, fastpaced short-form improv show with a few twists and turns added, based on audience suggestions. For mature audiences. Saturdays at 7:30 pm. $8. Blue Door Theatre, 815 W. Garland Ave. bluedoortheatre.com (509-747-7045) NEW TALENT TUESDAYS Watch comedians of all skill levels work out jokes together. Tuesdays at 7 pm (doors at 6 pm). Free. Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com PETER ANTONIOU Peter Antoniou fuses his ability to read minds with improvisational comedy in his latest touring show.

March 10, 7:30 pm. $15-$20. Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com (509-318-9998)

COMMUNITY

GOLDEN HARVEST: FLOUR SACKS FROM THE PERMANENT COLLECTION The MAC’s collection of cloth flour sacks

offers a unique window into the early development of Eastern Washington’s wheat industry, which today contributes billions of dollars to the state’s economy.

The sacks are also a tangible reminder of the mills that played a critical role in Spokane’s early growth. Tue-Sun from 10 am-5 pm, Third Thu from 10 am-9 pm through May 15. $7-$12. Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W. First Ave. northwestmuseum.org (509-456-3931) ONLINE STORYTIMES: LIVE Children have fun learning as library staff read stories, sing songs and share fingerplays during storytime. Ages 2-5 and their families. Registration required. Thursdays from 6:30-7 pm and Fridays from 9:30-10 am, through May 26. Free. scld. evanced.info/signup/list?df=list&nd=150 &kw=Online+Storytime SOCIAL FABRIC SERIES: DIRTY LAUNDRY This self-guided, mini-exhibition inside the Campbell House wrings details from diaries, correspondence and interviews to interpret personal and private topics not frequently shared in polite society. Through June, 2022; open TueSun from noon-4 pm (entry included with admission). $7-$12. Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W. First Ave. northwestmuseum.org (509-456-3931) STORYTIME SHORTS Storytime is a great way to help young children learn language and literacy skills, and get ready for kindergarten. For ages 2-5 and their families. Feb. 1-May 31; Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 am on the SCLD Facebook page: scld.org/facebook VIRTUAL JOB FAIR Visit with representatives from several area businesses who are hiring. Virtual employer booths in-

clude information about their company, open positions and more. March 3, 1-3 pm. Free. bit.ly/3BSrM9o (509-532-3186) LGBTQ+ SENIORS OF THE INW All LGBTQ+ seniors are invited to join weekly Zoom meetings, Fridays at 4 pm. “Senior” is roughly ages 50+. If interested email NancyTAvery@comcast.net to be added to the email list. Free. facebook. com/SpokaneLGBTSeniors VERY VINTAGE SPRING OPEN HOUSE Wear your best spring or Easter hat, and receive 20 percent off one item at Two Women and Upscaled Treasures. Event also takes place at Upscaled Treasures on the same dates. March 4, 5-9 pm and March 5, 11 am-6 pm. Free. Two Women Vintage Goods, 2012 E. Sprague Ave. twowomenvintagegoods.com COMMUNITY FUN DANCE No experience is needed, beginners are welcome. Open to all ages, singles and families. March 5, 7-9 pm. $8. Western Dance Center, 1901 N. Sullivan Rd. squaredancespokane.org LIGHTS! CAMERA! MURDER! A night full of glitz, glam, treats, celebration and murder mystery. A portion of each ticket is donated to the museum. March 5, 6-9 pm. $29-$79. Old Kootenai County Jail Museum, 7940 W. Second St. facebook. com/events/611852393239728 WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH ESCAPE ROOM Grab a group of friends and put your heads together while learning about some amazing women throughout history who’ve changed the world. March 5, 11 am-4:30 pm. Free. Coeur d’Alene Public Library, 702 E. Front Ave. cdalibrary.org NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LIVE: UNTAMED Filmmaker Filipe DeAndrade

talks about finding your passion in life and living it with intent. Along the way, he’ll bring you face to face with lions, sharks, snakes, jaguars, jumping spiders, whales, and more. March 9, 7 pm. $25$31. Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox, 1001 W. Sprague Ave. foxtheaterspokane. org (509-624-1200) SPOKANE HOME & GARDEN SHOW With a combination of new products and expert advice from the pros, the Spokane Home and Garden Show inspires ideas on enhancing your home’s comfort and functionality. Exhibitors also offer showonly discounts. March 11-13. $8-$10. Spokane Convention Center, 334 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. spokanehomeshows.com

FILM

LIVE FROM SOMEWHERE: GHOST HEART Get to know the story behind the band, Ghost Heart, their lyrics and more.

Episode to follow Q&A.March 3; doors at 6 pm, Q&A starts at 6:30 pm. $15. Magic Lantern Theatre, 25 W. Main Ave. magiclanternonmain.com CONNECTING IN CHAOS TABLE READS A table read program designed to foster relationships between writers, actors and the wider Spokane Film Project community. Must be an SFP member to participate. March 6, 4 pm. Free. spokanefilmproject.com AN APPETITE FOR FILM: FOOD IN THE MOVIES Join film historian John Trafton to explore the complex relationship between food and film throughout history, and how this relationship continues to impact our cultural landscape. March 9, 5:30 pm. Free. Online: humanities.org

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RELATIONSHIPS

Advice Goddess HEAVY SETTLE

I’m a guy who falls into relationships too easily, ending up with women I’m not particularly interested in. I thought I had discriminating taste, but obviously my relationship track record says otherwise. How can I grow up and stop being so impulsive?

—Disturbed You’re far from alone. People will insist they’re highly “discriminating” in choosing partners — and then move in with somebody on the third date. They, of AMY ALKON course, portray this as the height of romance — when it’s really the height of “Hello?! You barely know this person...were you dropped on your head as a baby?”

We humans have a powerful longing to be in a long-term love thing, and probably because of that, we’re far less choosy about romantic partners than we believe we are — at every stage of a relationship. Social psychologist Samantha Joel finds we have a GO! GO! GO! bias in romantic relationships: a strong tendency to make decisions that move a relationship forward — from the first night we meet our soon-to-be beloved to the 615th time they go all human nightmare on us.

People find all sorts of reasons to stay when every molecule of sense they have is screaming “FLEE!” Being in love is, obviously, a biggie, as is fear of being single (and the stigma that can go along). Breakups also become “logistically difficult” when partners’ lives become “intertwined,” through marriage, moving in together, or merging their groups of friends.

As for you, understanding that falling in love is often the twin of falling in an open manhole is a start. In the early stages, take it slow — and sober. Meet for coffee for an hour, and have someplace to be afterward (and actually stick to that and vamoose). Avoid marathon calls and texts.

When you’re into somebody, see whether they’re a good fit by holding them up to your standards for a partner. All your standards. Don’t just check the “she’s hot” box and crumple up the list.

Finally, in a world where we all experience harsh challenges every day, like the Uber driver arriving five minutes late, it’s easier than ever for people to contain their worst qualities. It might take you a year to know someone’s true character.

This suggests it’s wise to hold off on “entwinements” (like sharing a pad) till you’ve seen enough to answer the unfun questions, such as, “Hmm...what’s the likelihood I’ll end up emotionally and financially eviscerated and then dumped in a ditch to be picked apart by buzzards?”

GRILLE CHEESE

Female, 25, straight, single, and looking for a boyfriend on dating apps, as are my female friends. We’re all wondering what’s with these guys who post profile photos of themselves lying across the hood of a Lamborghini with their ridiculous greased abs on display. It’s like the opposite of cool; it’s immature and ostentatious and clueless and tacky. Seriously, is there reasoning behind this behavior?

My friends all agree it’s a major turnoff.

—Grossed Out There’s this notion (held by some men as well as some feminists) that men and women are just people with different funparts and “What men want, women want.”

Um, no. Note that you never hear dudes complaining to the bros, “Eew! So gross!” about getting unsolicited boob pics — first, because they never get them, but if they did, it’d be like they caught the boobie leprechaun with the pot of nymphomaniac hotties at the end of the cul-de-sac.

Women seeking a relationship tend to be turned off by the conspicuous display of abs (versus a guy “inconspicuously” showing he’s fit), and the display of the sickexpensive car is likewise a fail. Social psychologist Jill M. Sundie and her colleagues find a man’s motivation to engage in “conspicuous consumption” — flashy, wastefully extravagant displays of wealth — is triggered by “short-term mating goals.” In plain English: “Yeah, he wants a lasting relationship — lasting from about 3 a.m. to sunup.”

Women read this signal loud and clear — which is why you boyfriend-seeking ladies are “grossed out.” Guys will counter, “But wait...women like men with money!”

Well, yeah, but there’s some nuance to that. Women seeking more than a three-hour sex tour are primed by evolution to find a man who’ll “invest” — and not just in his “baby” (aka his 911 Turbo S): “Dylan, buddy, I know you need your tumor removed, but Daddy’s rims are almost six months old!”

By the way, these flashy car pics could even be a fail for a guy hoping to target the hookuperellas on an app, because they often signal he’s a liar. Twenty-two years old and ab-splayed across the hood of a Ferrari? The ladies know exactly what to look for. Yep...just zoom in on the photo for the clip-on bow tie and balled-up polyester valet vest — right behind the back wheel of LeBron’s car. n ©2022, Amy Alkon, all rights reserved. • Got a problem? Write Amy Alkon, 171 Pier Ave, #280, Santa Monica, CA 90405 or email AdviceAmy@aol.com (www.advicegoddess.com)

34 INLANDER MARCH 3, 2022

EVENTS | CALENDAR

FOOD & DRINK

INLANDER RESTAURANT WEEK The 2022 event feature almost 100 restaurants across the region serving threecourse meals for $22, $33 or $44 each.

Through March 5. inlanderrestaurantweek.com ROCKET WINE CLASS Rocket Market hosts weekly wine classes; sign up in advance for the week’s selections.

Fridays at 7 pm. Rocket Market, 726 E. 43rd Ave. rocketmarket.com SCENIC HOT COCOA CRUISES A hotcocoa bar is available on-board with original cocoa for the kiddos and spiked cocoa for the adults. Offered every FriSun, at 12:30 and 2:30 pm, through March 27. $12-$16. The Coeur d’Alene Resort, 115 S. Second. cdacruises.com WINE, STEIN & DINE! Featuring over 85 participating wineries, microbreweries and restaurants with professional judging. Also features a silent auction and a wine tree raffle. Ages 21+. March 5, 7-10 pm. $45. Greyhound Park & Event Center, 5100 Riverbend Ave. gpeventcenter.com (800-828-4880) UNIONTOWN SAUSAGE FEED The 69th annual event is a fundraiser for the Uniontown community building.

The drive-through line will start at the Uniontown Co-op on the north end of town, follow the signs to pick up your sausage. March 6, 10 am-5 pm. $15. Uniontown Community Building, Hwy. 195 at Montgomery St. facebook. com/Uniontown-Community-Building-114345654489776/ (509-229-3414) ITALIAN DUMPLINGS WITH SAUCE A class to make ricotta and potato gnocchi, as well as authentic spinach malfatti dumplings and two sauces for all the dishes. Substitutions to accommodate dietary restrictions are available. March 10, 6-8 pm. $69. Spokane Community College, 1810 N. Greene St. campusce.net/spokane/course/course. aspx?c=1155 (509-279-6144)

MUSIC

FESTIVAL OF CONTEMPORARY ART MUSIC This festival celebrates the art music of our time, highlighting the work of WSU student and faculty composers along with special guest and visiting composers. March 3-5; see site for schedule. Free. Bryan Hall Theatre (WSU), 605 Veterans Way. events.wsu. edu/event/festival-of-contemporaryart-music-2/ (509-332-9600) DISNEY PRINCESS: THE CONCERT:“Be our guest” as an all-star quartet of Broadway and animated film icons, their magical Music Director and enchanting Prince celebrate all the Disney princesses in an evening of songs, animation, and stories. March 5, 7:30 pm. $40+. First Interstate Center for the Arts, 334 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. firstinterstatecenter.org/event/disneyprincess-the-concert/ (509-279-7000) SPOKANE SYMPHONY MASTERWORKS 6: THE GENESIS OF THE SSO Celebrate last year’s 75th anniversary of the Spokane Symphony Orchestra by experiencing some of the music performed during the orchestra’s early history. March 5, 8 pm and March 6, 3 pm. $27-$62. Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox, 1001 W. Sprague Ave. spokanesymphony.org (509-624-1200)

RYAN ZWAHLEN Ryan Zwahlen is principal oboist with the Central Oregon Symphony and a founding member of the West Winds Chamber Ensemble.

March 7, 7:30-9 pm. Free. Kimbrough Music Building (WSU), WSU Pullman. events.wsu.edu/event/guest-artistryan-zwahlen/ (509-332-9600) JAZZ NORTHWEST: THE MUSIC OF CÉSAR HAAS The festival features Jazz Northwest performing original compositions by recently hired WSU jazz guitar faculty, César Haas, and the SFCC Jazz Ensemble performing compositions by big band director David Larsen and by WSU jazz coordinator Greg Yasinitsky. March 8, 7 pm. Free. Spartan Theater at SFCC, 3410 W. Whistalks Way. spokanefalls.edu/resources/SpartanTheatre.aspx OF DREAMERS AND DREAMS A choral concert featuring the North Idaho College chamber singers performing music

by Whitacre, Mozart, Dilworth and others. March 8, 7:30-9 pm. Free. Schuler Performing Arts Center, 1000 W. Garden Ave. nic.edu/events EWU ORCHESTRA CONCERT The EWU Orchestra performs music from the 1930s composed by Britten, Glazunov and Ellington. March 9, 7:30 pm. $5$10. EWU Music Building Recital Hall, Cheney campus. ewu.edu/music

SPORTS & OUTDOORS

NIGHT SKIING SESSIONS Mt. Spokane offers night-skiing sessions every Wed-Sat from 3-9 pm, through March 12. $32. Mt. Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park, 29500 N. Mt. Spokane Park Dr. mtspokane.com (509-238-2220) WSU COUGARS MEN’S BASKETBALL VS. OREGON STATE Regular season game. March 3, 8 pm. $7-$62. Beasley Coliseum, 925 NE Fairway Rd. beasley. wsu.edu (509-335-3525) DOUG E FRESH BANKED SLALOM A snowboard race through a banked slalom course in the terrain park. All proceeds go to the Doug E. Fresh Foundation. This is the 7th annual fundraiser for the Doug Johnson Memorial Fund.

March 5. Silver Mountain Resort, 610 Bunker Ave. silvermt.com/upcomingevents/details/doug-e-fresh MEGA DEMO DAY At least 20 brands are represented with new skis and boards for the the 2022-23 season.

Proceeds support the Panhandle Alliance for Education. March 5, 7 am-2:30 pm. $50-$125. Schweitzer, 10,000 Schweitzer Mountain Rd. schweitzer.com WSU COUGARS MEN’S BASKETBALL VS. UNIVERSITY OF OREGON Regular season game. March 5, 1 pm. $7-$62.

Beasley Coliseum, 925 NE Fairway Rd. beasley.wsu.edu (509-335-3525) SPOKANE NORDIC CHALLENGE SKI LOPPET Long-distance cross-country ski race, with routes from 20-50K. March 6, 8 am. $50-$65. Mt. Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park, 29500 N. Mt. Spokane Park Dr. spokanenordic.org SPOKANE CHIEFS VS. VANCOUVER GIANTS Special: TicketsWest player magnet giveaway. March 9, 7 pm. $17$37. Spokane Arena, 720 W. Mallon Ave. spokanechiefs.com

THEATER

THE CEMETERY CLUB A show about

three widows all dealing with the death of their spouse in different ways. March 4-5 at 7 pm. $15. Cutter Theatre, 302 Park St., Metaline Falls. cuttertheatre. com (509-446-4108) FAST & FURIOUS IX Spokane Stage Left continues the original short play festival virtually, with 30 one-page plays directed by Rebecca Cook, Jessica Loomer and Robyn Urhausen. March 5, 7 pm. Free. stagelefttheater.org WICKED The Broadway sensation looks at what happened in the Land of Oz… from a different angle. March 9-27; show times vary. $53.50-$153.50. First Interstate Center for the Arts, 334 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. broadwayspokane. com/events/detail/wicked SPOKANE SINGS SONDHEIM Spokane Ensemble Theatre is honoring the breadth of work of the late musical theater legend, Stephen Sondheim. March 10, 7-9 pm. $10. Adjust, 705 N. Monroe St. eventbrite.com/e/spokane-singssondheim-tickets-275132447557 AGATHA CHRISTIE’S THE UNEXPECTED GUEST A classic “whodunit” mystery play, directed by Dan Griffith.

March 11-13; Fri-Sat at 7:30 pm, Sun at 2 pm. Free. Project ID, 4209 E. Pacific Ave. igniteonbroadway.org

VISUAL ARTS

NANCY ROTHWELL: ECHOS OF A PANDEMIC This acrylic collage exhibit tells a visual story about the impact the COVID pandemic is having on women.

Mon-Fri from 10 am-6 pm; Sat from 1-5 pm through May 16. Free. The Center, 104 S. Main St. nancyrothwell.com GUEST ARTIST LINDA THORSON Linda focuses her art on casting and creating works to grace the home and garden, inspired by various periods of art history, places she has traveled and nature.

March 1-31, open daily 11 am-7 pm. Free.

Pottery Place Plus, 203 N. Washington St. potteryplaceplus.com JOE HEDGES: ARCHÆOLATRY The artist explores how the physical and digital realms overlap, contradict and support each other. Mon-Fri from 8:30 am-3:30 pm through March 16. Free. SFCC Fine Arts Gallery, 3410 W. Whistalks Way. (509-533-3710) MIDDLELIFE: RAJAH BOSE The Whitworth Art & Design Department and the Bryan Oliver Gallery present the work of photographer Rajah Bose. Open Mon-Fri 10 am-5 pm, Sat 10 am-2 pm, through March 25. Free. Bryan Oliver Gallery, Whitworth, 300 W. Hawthorne Ave. whitworthart.com (509-777-3258) DIVAS: THE ART OF ROBBIN MILLER & SARAH GOODWIN Sarah’s art reflects a more literal interpretation of her diva muses, while Robbin’s represents the abstract feeling inspired by their music.

March 4-27, daily from 11 am-7 pm. Free.

Liberty Building, 402 N. Washington. spokanelibertybuilding.com ELEMENTAL ART EXHIBITION Art of an ‘elemental’ theme by Rosemary Barile, Karen Mobley and Deb Sheldon.

March 3-31, Sun-Tue and Thu 12-6 pm, Wed and Fri 12-9 pm, Sat 12-7 pm. Free.

Barrister Winery, 1213 W. Railroad Ave. barristerwinery.com FIRST FRIDAY Art galleries across Spokane host monthly receptions to showcase new art. Fri, March 4 from 5-8 pm.

Details at firstfridayspokane.org LIGHT IN THE DARK Ezekiel Fee’s watercolor paintings and charcoal draw-

ings on paper. Fridays from 5-8 pm through March 25. Free. Kolva-Sullivan Gallery, 115 S. Adams St. kolvasullivangallery.com MMIW: NO MORE STOLEN SISTERS ART SHOW In an effort to raise awareness of the current and ongoing issue of thousands of currently open, unsolved cases of MMIW (missing and murdered indigenous women and persons) throughout the U.S. and Canada, a united collective of local Native American speakers and artists share their works of traditional and contemporary arts and research. March 4-26; Fri 4-7 pm, Sat 10 am-3 pm. Free. Gonzaga University Urban Arts Center, 125 S. Stevens. gonzaga.edu/art/ PROCESS: INVESTIGATIONS IN FIBER, FORM & TRANSFORMATION Sculptor Elyse Hochstadt presents new works in felted wool, a medium that reflects her commitment to natural materials and conceptual interests through its transformative, resilient and flexible qualities. March 4-25, Mon-Fri from 10 am-5 pm.

Free. Spokane Art School, 811 W. Garland Ave. spokaneartschool.net DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE Featuring painters Kay O’Rourke and Tim Lord, Down The Rabbit Hole asks attendees to suspend their disbelief and allow themselves to dive headfirst into an artistic vision that is equal parts whimsy and grounded naturalism. March 5-26; Thu-Sun, 11 am-6 pm. Free. The Art Spirit Gallery, 415 Sherman Ave. theartspiritgallery.com (208-765-6006) AN ILLUMINATION OF THE GREEN KNIGHT Join artist Hannah Charlton to create an illuminated manuscript in the way books were made before the introduction of the printing press. March 5, 12-4 pm. $40-$45.

The MAC, 2316 W. First Ave. northwestmuseum.org (509-456-3931)

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WORDS

PIVOT: ABOUT TIME Six local storytellers share stories centered around the theme of “time.” March 3, 7 pm.

Free. Washington Cracker Building, 304 W. Pacific. pivotspokane.com WSU VISITING WRITERS SERIES: BETH PIATOTE Piatote is a Nez Perce writer, scholar and indigenous language activist.

March 3, 6-8 pm. youtube.com/ watch?v=5n5qyrVkpYs EIJA SUMNER BOOK READING Sumner reads from her debut picture book “Crocodile Hungry,” followed by a Q&A. March 5, 11 amnoon. Free. The Kenworthy, 508 S. Main St. bookpeopleofmoscow.com SUDS & SCIENCE: HIGH ALTITUDE FLIGHT This presentation focuses on the physiological effects of operating in a high-altitude environment.

March 5, 7-8 pm. Free. The Golden Handle Project, 111 S. Cedar St. goldenhandle.org (509-868-0264) CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE RURAL NORTHWEST: LEARNING FROM MALDEN Scott Hokonson discusses the urgency of planning to be resilient to our changing climate and lessons learned that can help communities in the Inland NW. March 7, 6 pm. Free. Gonzaga Hemmingson Center, 702 E. Desmet Ave. gonzaga.edu/center-for-climate-societyenvironment/events

MARCH 3, 2022 INLANDER 35

Spokane Valley’s GrowOp Farms was founded in 2014 and its Phat Panda brand is home to more than 550 employees.

YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

EMPLOYMENT

A Booming Job Market The cannabis industry is growing like a weed

L

ast week, cannabis news and culture website Leafly put out its annual cannabis industry jobs report. The report found that as of January the cannabis industry in the United States supports 428,059 full-time-equivalent jobs. That’s an increase of 107,059 jobs over the previous year. There are more people working in the cannabis industry than there are working as firefighters or insurance agents; there are three times as many cannabis workers than dentists.

The Leafly report looked only at cannabis workers, not those working in the hemp industry, which is considered to be distinct due to a technicality in how the federal government regulates the plant.

Washington ranks ninth among states in cannabis employment, with 22,516 people working full-time-equivalent jobs in the cannabis industry. The report found that while the industry continues to grow at an increasing

36 INLANDER MARCH 3, 2022

BY WILL MAUPIN pace nationally — 33 percent year-over-year and above 27 percent for the fifth straight year — states like Washington with relatively mature markets are showing more moderate growth. Washington saw just 3 percent growth from a year ago.

Cannabis has also become a broad and diversified industry, with jobs ranging from plant-touching positions like growers and processors to more ancillary positions found in other industries like accounting and human resources.

That diversity of positions is reflected in Washington’s current cannabis industry job market. Job hunting service Indeed lists 475 positions currently open in the cannabis industry within the state. Compensation ranges from minimum wage positions to six-figure salaries.

Looking ahead, Leafly expects growth patterns within the cannabis industry to continue along similar lines.

Much of the growth over recent years has been spurred by the steady stream of states that have been moving into the legal market. Eight states legalized either medical or recreational cannabis in 2021.

For states like Washington, where legal markets have existed for years and are largely stable, growth will be dictated by regulations rather than legalization. For example, the state currently has a cap on the number of licenses available for retail stores, which is a limiting factor for growth within the industry.

Even with mature markets seeing their growth rates start to level out, Leafly expects growth to continue to increase nationally through 2025. The report estimates that a fully mature national cannabis industry could support between 1.5 million and 1.75 million full-time-equivalent jobs, making cannabis one of the larger industries by employment in the country. n

BE AWARE: Marijuana is legal for adults 21 and older under Washington State law (e.g., RCW 69.50, RCW 69.51A, HB0001 Initiative 502 and Senate Bill 5052). State law does not preempt federal law; possessing, using, distributing and selling marijuana remains illegal under federal law. In Washington state, consuming marijuana in public, driving while under the influence of marijuana and transporting marijuana across state lines are all illegal. Marijuana has intoxicating effects; there may be health risks associated with its consumption, and it may be habit-forming. It can also impair concentration, coordination and judgment. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug. Keep out of reach of children. For more information, consult the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board at www.liq.wa.gov.

Marijuana use increases the risk of lower grades and dropping out of school.

Talk with your kids.

GET THE FACTS at learnaboutmarijuanawa.org

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34. Series of changes from birth to death 38. First word in a classic song 38 39 37 from “The Sound of Music” 39. ____ to go (eager) 41 42 40 41. Blythe Danner’s Oscarwinning daughter 45 43 44 42. Puts on eBay again 44. Start of many Portuguese 46 47 48 49 50 51 place names 45. Only U.S. president born in 52 53 54 55 New Hampshire 57 58 56 48. Relatively cool heavenly body 60 61 59 49. Refrain before “With a moo moo here” 63 64 62 50. “Go ahead, ____ you!”

51. They’re under les chapeaux “CRY” 52. Perch for a mountain goat 21. Hill of fame 30. Places to hibernate 53. Disturb, as sediment 22. Fin. neighbor 31. It’s elementary 54. Banks of “America’s Got Talent” 26. Unworldly 32. Surrealist who said “The only 55. NBA team with fire in its logo 27. Pablo Neruda’s “____ to Wine” difference between me and the 28. “Brandenburg Concertos” composer Surrealists is that I am a Surrealist” 56. Actor John who plays Sulu in “Star Trek” films 29. Ingredient in some topical gels 33. ____ Bator, Mongolia 31

DOWN

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63. Can’t stand 64. Some deer

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38. Run out of juice 39. Fact-finding mission, informally 40. Angela Merkel successor ____ Scholz 41. Federal URL ender 42. Cases for dermatologists 43. Computer logic game named for a warship 46. Small coral island 47. “Thumbs up!”

52. What a person who bottles up their emotions might do ... or this puzzle’s theme 56. Gator’s cousin 57. Observers 58. One of four in a kangaroo’s pouch 59. Precipitation similar to graupel 60. Piece of land 61. Suffix with gazillion 62. Stare at in a creepy way

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ACROSS 1. Sounds accompanied by head shakes 5. “Save me ____” (latecomer’s request) 10. Regarding 14. Freshly 15. Sith Lord’s title 16. “Awkwafina Is ____ From Queens” (Comedy Central series) 17. Paltry 18. Join forces 19. Nincompoop 20. Showy piece of jewelry 23. Hall of fame 24. Birth control option, for short 25. “Things could be worse” 31. Unseen “Peanuts” characters 35. Wood-shaping tool 36. Fabulist’s work 37. Shire of “The Godfather”

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LOCAL, INDEPENDENT AND FREE SINCE 1993!

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MARCH 3, 2022 INLANDER 39

Entertainment Series TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

Voyage

Jefferson Starship

King of the Cage THURSDAY, MARCH 31 ST 7 PM | $50 & UP

THE ULTIMATE JOURNEY TRIBUTE BAND THURSDAY, APRIL 21 ST 7 PM | $30 & UP

Purple Reign

Casey Donahew

Yellow Brick Road

THURSDAY, MARCH 10TH 7 PM | $40 & UP

THE PRINCE TRIBUTE SHOW THURSDAY, MAY 12 TH 7 PM | $25 & UP

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A TRIBUTE TO ELTON JOHN THURSDAY, JULY 21 ST 7 PM | $30 & UP

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